The Keepers of Two: Ice Queen
by Sabina V. Sinistra
Summary: While running away from the Federation Obi-Wan meets the mysterious and cold Queen of Naboo, who really is her decoy, Sabé, posting as the Queen. Sabé, with too many secrets and a complicated past, knows deep inside that they belong togheter *FINISHED*


The Keepers of Two  
  
Book I: The Ice Queen  
  
Prologue: The Orphan and the Queen:  
  
"Did you find her?" asked a voice with eco. It was the middle of nowhere: all there was dark. "Did you do what I commanded you?"  
  
"Yes. They have tested her. They think she isn't strong enough in the force to become a Jedi" another voice answered.  
  
"You fooled them very well. Your work in this plan has finished. You did a good job, now you can rest".  
  
"Thank you, sire" the second voice stopped echoing, and simply disappeared. Two images were flashing trough the darkness: the faces of a girl and a boy. The girl had long mahogany dark red hair and beautiful ice-blue eyes. She wore a sad smile in her lips and was too pale. The boy was like nine or ten years older, with dark hair and blue, piercing eyes. He seemed tough and self-confident, and maybe just a little arrogant. He was smiling with confidence.  
  
"So much alike, and yet so different. You share a destiny, my children, but you will know about it when you become older. I am sorry, Sabé, but I had to fool those Jedis who tested you. You have to grow free, and near the future Queen of Naboo and Mother of the Two. Be patient, little ones, and you will be together one day. I promise" with those last words the first voice faded slowly…  
  
A girl stared at the window. She knew that there was something from her that wasn't right. She was sensitive to the force, she just KNEW it. But the tests were negative…  
  
"Stubborn Jedis, they didn't notice. For some reason I know that it was meant to happen this exact way. But I wish I weren't an orphan, I didn't even know my father…. Mother told me he was a good man but… why didn't he choose her then? He chose to be a Jedi and abandon us, so he couldn't be a good person. And then mother died form a broken heart, because he left her… And yet, I can't hate him." she thought aloud. Nobody in there was paying attention to her. Little kids were running everywhere, screaming the hell out of themselves, too loud to even think. Sabé put her hands over her ears, trying to stop hearing the voices of the children. It didn't work.  
  
"Please, stop…" she cried. Her senses were very keen, too keen for her own good and the sound was duplicated in her ears.  
  
She sat down, her arms around her legs, and buried her face in her hands, trying to convince herself that the Naboo Royal Orphanage was just a big nightmare. It had to be.  
  
Then, suddenly, a person burst into the room, making all the kids froze in their positions. Sabé look at her savior with curiosity: it was a black man, dressed in a Royal Army uniform. He was probably Captain, the girl noted.  
  
The stranger glanced at all the children, deception marking his face. Then, he smiled. There was the little person he was looking for. He walked with elegance trough the crowd of frightened boys and stood in front of Sabé. She slowly moved her gaze form the floor to the stranger's eyes. They were severe, but also kind. He smiled at her and she knew immediately that she could trust him.  
  
And then the second man entered. He was older than the army man, with short platinum hair, a complicated and elegant robe, and a calm and kind smile. His grey eyes were full of generosity.  
  
"Panaka, you have scared the hell out of this poor little children." scolded the older man softly. Captain Panaka simply laughed at the comment.  
  
"Sorry Governor. It certainly wasn't my intention. But look, the little girl didn't even flinch. She is brave." Indicate the military man pointing at Sabé, which had stood while the old man was making his entrance.  
  
"Just what we need, then. And yes, she looks like Amidala. With the paint, gowns and headdress they could pass as twins!" The Governor's smile became bigger and happier.  
  
"But, sire, you do not know if she is smart enough, or if she is fast, or if she can fight, or if she…" begun Panaka, but the Governor cut him.  
  
"Too much 'or if she' for your own good, Panaka; relax…" He glanced at Sabé, who stood there, pride visible shining in her face. Her eyes threw daggers to the two men standing near her. She didn't trust him, Sio-Bible noted.  
  
"We wish you no harm, little one, so please do not fear us" he started "We came hear because we need to know if you are qualified to help us".  
  
Sabé nodded, feeling like if she was at the same level of the two men. "I understand that, gentlemen, and I am not scare. But I do not know what you want from an orphan of merely five years old," she said. For a five-year-old kid, she was very smart.  
  
"We will explain that to you later, little one. I promise. But before, we need to run some tests on you. Do you agree?" asked Sio- Bible with his characteristic smile. Sabé nodded again and stepped out of the room with the Captain and the governor, the children still frozen in their spots. Then, when all three of them were gone, everything went back to normal.  
  
"This definitely isn't normal" Panaka sentenced with an astonished look on his face. The platinum-haired man next to him agreed with the same expression of disbelief in his features.  
  
They were both in a room with a large window. Form that window you could see the Theed's palace gymnasium. There was Sabé, running like if the devil himself was chasing her. She was like a flash of light that crossed the race track in seconds. Her reflexes were keen… to keen for a normal little Naboo girl.  
  
"Agility and reflexes are two of her strong points…" muttered Captain Panaka writing something down on a block full of little notes.  
  
"I do not know of any specie on the entire universe that could beat her on a competition." said Sio-Bible with a grin. "And what about the fighting tests?" he asked then.  
  
"She is strong, and very good with tactics. She can predict all her opponent movements. She is just like a diamond that needs to be polished to shine like no other diamond has ever shined" answered the Captain with pride. "She is perfect, Governor" he finished. The mentioned man nodded.  
  
"I will take care of her. Send her to my house. I will make a home for that poor child. She seems so… alone. She needs someone." With those last words Governor Sio-Bible stepped out of the room. Panaka sigh with relief. Finally they had found the perfect girl. Sabé Maberrie was the chosen one to be little princess Amidala's decoy and bodyguard.  
  
"Sabé, come here please" said Terra Kaenberrie, the headmistress of the Naboo Royal Orphanage to the little girl sitting on a big chair ridding a large book.  
  
"Of course, Miss Kaenberrie" replied polite as always the mentioned kid, standing and marking the page she was reading currently before going with the middle-age Naboo lady to her office.  
  
"What's the matter, Miss Kaenberrie? Did I do something bad?" asked with curiosity Sabé. Terra didn't reply immediately. First she took the book Sabé was holding and stared at it… It was in some strange galactic old language that she, with all her years of studies, didn't know. And for the millionth time in her life she thought that the little girl sitting in front of her was extremely odd.  
  
"Well, Sabé, I have just received a letter from Governor Sio-Bible himself" she said at last, expecting Sabé to be surprised and perplex. She wasn't.  
  
"Aren't you surprised, little Sabé?" she asked then. The girl denied with her head.  
  
"I figured he would write" she explained "I saw him before. You weren't here that day. He came with a tall, black man who belonged to the army. I think his name was Captain Panaka."  
  
Terra didn't ask about that. She was just happy for Sabé because the Governor of Theed wanted to adopt her. She told Sabé that and suddenly the girl's face lit up with joy.  
  
"You mean he is going to take me away of… all this noise and kicks, and insults? You are not kidding?" she shouted, happiness filling her mind. Terra shared the girl's feelings. She knew that Sabé was the kind of light that would die out in the orphanage. She deserved better.  
  
"A transport will pick you up at ten o'clock, dear. The governor send you some robes to use, since the orphanage robes aren't appropriate for the Governor of Theed's adoptive daughter" she said, looking at the missive that was written in expensive paper with the emblem of Theed on top. "You must hurry, dear. The robes are on your bed, with a cloak for you to wear because the weather is cold and he doesn't want you to get sick. Put the clothes on, pack all your books and meet me downstairs, okay?" Terra asked. Sabé nodded absently and stormed of the room quickly, heading upstairs to the first pair of Girl's Rooms. She saw there a beautiful violet robe made of satin with a leather belt. She put the robe on and did the same with the violet sandals and the marine-blue cloak. Then she took all her books and hurried downstairs to meet Miss Kaenberrie for the last time.  
  
"I'll miss you, Miss Kaenberrie. Thank you so much for your attentions to me. I would be grateful all my life. I promise to write you, if you want." said Sabé with sadness in her eyes.  
  
"I would be glad if you write me, Sabé. Come on, put a smile on that lovely face of yours and have a happy life. You deserve it" answered Terra with a smile. Sabé waved at her when the transport came to take her to the Governor's house. Terra waved back and wished her all the happiness a girl could have.  
  
"Please, Miss Maberrie, follow me. I will take you to the central hall where the Governor is expecting you" said a servant dressed with very nice blue robes and pants, and with the emblem of Theed in the front part of his robe. Sabé nodded and followed the man through the large garden of the Governor's house that looked almost like a maze. She stuck close to the male servant, fearing that she could get lost. Soon later they were in front of a magnificent house, of an old Naboo style. It was an architectonic treasure. Fountains were everywhere in the garden, various types of trees and flowers from Naboo and from other places far away were planted in an artistic way and the house in the center completed the picture perfectly.  
  
"Impressive?" asked the servant, very proud.  
  
"Indeed" answered the girl, really meaning it. She reached the stairs that led to the front doors and the servant left her. She opened the heavy oak (Naboo oak, of course) doors and stepped into the dark Main Hall.  
  
"Hello?" she said with shaky voice. From the darkness came a figure. "Greetings, little one. Welcome to my humble home" said the Governor of Theed. The girl didn't seem uncomfortable, which pleased Sio- Bible. "Are you tired? Do you want something to eat or you want me to show you your chambers first, Sabé?"  
  
"I will prefer that you would tell me why you adopted me, if that's okay with you, Governor" Sabé said with curiosity.  
  
"Well, I knew that we would have to discuss this matter sooner or later, so please follow me to my private Lounge and I will tell you all you want to know there." He said with a solemn tone before flashing the girl a funny smile. "Shall we, Milady?" he asked her, bowing before Sabé, who giggled a little before accepting the arm that the platinum-haired man offered her.  
  
"These are your private working chambers? They are huge!" Sabé said, looking everywhere. All the things that where inside the house where interesting and extravagant.  
  
"Yes, they are large indeed, but a man needs space to relax and work better, don't you think so? Well, please sit down, milady," he motioned a really big chair made of mahogany wood, very comfortable. The Governor sited down next to her.  
  
"You probably have heard of Amidala, princess of the South Naboo and the favorite candidate to be Queen among the Naboo people. Well, since she has become a very important figure in quite a short time, the Royal Security Chief and Captain of the Naboo Army, Panaka, and I have decided that Amidala should have a Royal bodyguard and decoy to take her place on risky situations and to act like one of her Handmaidens to protect her of a sudden attack. We have search in all houses and Noble children without luck and then we finally found YOU." He said with a calm voice. Sabé's face didn't reflect any emotion as she considered the words the man sitting in front of her had spoken. "I understand if you want to refuse. If you say no I promise you that I will send you back in the Orphanage. You don't have to feel obligated. This is an opportunity I am giving you, not an order." Sabé refused to return to the solitary and miserable life of the Orphanage, and she found being the future Queen of Naboo's decoy an honor and a potential adventure. That is what she needed in her life. But still, there was something that didn't fit in the picture.  
  
"But if what you need is a girl to play the Princess's decoy, why did you ADOPT me? You could have put me under Government care, or hire me, just like a servant. You didn't need to adopt me." The little girl said, confusion shining in her pretty big ice-blue eyes.  
  
"Well, to tell you the truth, that was my own desire. Since I first laid eyes upon you I found you like a diamond that needed to be polished, as Panaka put it so well. I am an old man, and I am not going to marry, because my only love, Delaria, died but her memories are still with me. And I do not have children, so I thought that this big house would make a fine home for such a pretty girl with such natural talents as yours." Sio-Bible replied, smiling a true, genuine smile "So? Do you accept, Milady?"  
  
Sabé smiled extended her left hand and said "We have a deal, Governor". The mentioned man shook the little girl's hand and made her one request "Please, I know that I am not your father, but I would be glad if you could drop the formal title and call me Dad or something like that. I know that it's too soon, but it would make me really happy."  
  
Sabé found it a very difficult task. She hadn't known her father or her mother, but she still thought of the platinum-haired man as the Governor of Theed. "I will try, that's the only thing I can promise so far." She answered. That pleased the Governor and he escorted her to her private chambers. There was her private Lunge, her garden with her own lake with a fountain in the middle, her working room, her little library, her playroom, her bedroom and her wardrobe full of robes, gowns, sandals and other clothes. All her rooms where painted resembling the universe, with stars and moons hanging from the ceiling and planets painted on the walls.  
  
"It's beautiful, simply beautiful!" she exclaimed, dazzled. Those were HER rooms? Sio-Bible looked pleased with himself. "Do you like your little part of the house, my dear?" he asked with a grin of triumph. She nodded with her head, incapable of even whispering something. "I hope that this house and I will make a home for you, dear one." He gently kissed Sabé's hand and smiled at the girl. "Change from you travel robe and then pull that rope. A servant will be immediately here to escort you to the small dinning-room. You will meet Panaka there, I am sure that you remember my dear friend." Sabé nodded for the second time and started to enjoy her permanent visit to The Governor Sio-Bible's house.  
  
"All you have to do is catch her, Garth!" exclaimed Commander Diamiris with a sigh "And you can't even do that!"  
  
Captain Panaka wanted to laugh so hard that his stomach hurt. Obviously that Diamiris didn't know what he was dealing with. Sabé might be tiny and fragile but she had the most amazing reflexes on the entire Universe. She was the fastest creature known. And she had an abnormal characteristic: she anticipated the future. She knew what a person would do, how and when would somebody attack her and she escaped easily. That was what was happening that day.  
  
"Don't worry, Garth, you can go now. Nobody ever caught Sabé even once, so don't worry about that. And Commander, stop sending me your men. I think that nobody in this universe could catch Sabé if she didn't want to, so stop trying." He commanded before the blonde- haired soldier and his commander stepped out of the training room.  
  
"You wounded his pride" scolded Sabé softly. She barely spoke to anyone besides the captain and her foster father, the Governor of Theed; because she liked to watch was happened around her instead of participate.  
  
"Yes, I know it, but sometimes is good to hurt someone's pride before he become a pompous, or snobbish person. The Commander is that kind of person…" the Captain explained.  
  
"Mmmm, Captain, have you seen my father? He promised to peak me up today and he is half an hour late."  
  
The mentioned man appeared at that very moment, smiling apologetically at his daughter.  
  
"I am so sorry, dear, but Lord Daeberrie had an urgent thing to discuss with me." He said as he hugged tiny little Sabé. Then he glanced at his watch and gasped.  
  
"Oh, dear, look at the hour! It's almost launch time! And today you have launch with the Queen!" he shouted. Sabé sighed.  
  
"I'm tired." She protested, knowing that she had to go even if she was fainting of tiredness.  
  
"You know that is your royal duty" Panaka interrupted. Sabé gave up.  
  
"Ok, ok, I'm going, fine?" she mumbled, heading towards the women dressing-rooms where she changed her fighting bodysuit for a violet robe with a chain of silver Naboo symbols as a belt and a blue cape. She followed Panaka and her foster father to the intricate corridors of the Palace of Theed, analyzing everything she saw. Her eyes were shining literately, with an ice-blue light that looked supernatural. Then, when they finally reached the main dinning-room, Sabé blinked and her eyes were back to normal.  
  
And herald announced their entry with a pompous voice. A little girl stood up, her face neutral and her posture very regal. She was Amidala, princess of the South of Naboo, and she was there because of a political visit to the King of Naboo and the Court of Lords.  
  
The two girls stood in front of each other and, after a few minutes, Amidala finally spoke:  
  
"She has mahogany hair, ice-blue eyes and different shape of face, but she looks very much like me. Add the make-up, dye her hair, change the color of her eyes and she is like a mirror image of Me." she commented, looking pleased. "You did well, Governor."  
  
The mentioned man bowed and smiled. Panaka told the little princess about Sabé's fighting skills but the decoy didn't spoke at all.  
  
"Is she mute or just angry, governor?" Amidala said, looking intently at her bodyguard.  
  
"Sabé, don't. You will scare her." Sio-Bible pleaded, knowing what his daughter was up to. The girl shook her head and stared at Amidala. Her eyes glowed again and the princess backed up. Then she noticed that nothing bad happened and took a step forward.  
  
"I see you have a kind spirit. You are honest and you are loyal to your people too… You will make a fine ruler." Sabé stated, putting her hands on the sleeves of her robes, in a very Jedi way. Her eyes went back to their normal way with a blink.  
  
"Wow that was amazing… How do you do that?" Amidala asked with sudden interest.  
  
"Oh, that's my secret. I can do that because I am TOWME… The One With Mystic Eyes." Sabé replied, smiling a little. She had taken that name from her dreams. She always dreamed of a voice who called her 'Towme'.  
  
"That's a good nickname. Mine is Ami. Pleased to meet you." Both girls shook hands. And Sio-Bible and Panaka sighed with relief, noticing the friendship bond that Amidala and Sabé were developing…  
  
A couple of years later, on the Palace of Theed…  
  
"I swear it, Sabé Maberrie, you are the coldest person I've ever met… Poor Lord Byran, you turned him down with no mercy!" Amidala scolded softly. She was dress on a stunning violet and blue gown with sapphires and rubies and she had the Naboo Royal crown on her head.  
  
"It's your crowning ceremony today and all you can think of it's me and Lord Byran? You have some kind of problem for sure, Ami." The mentioned girl replied. Amidala was fourteen years old, and Sabé was fifteen. Sabé was dressed on a silver gown and she wore her usual silk ice-blue cloak.  
  
"Oh, yes, my crowning ceremony… It was nice, but this thing over my head is heavier than any of my headdresses!" the new elected complained, sighing. Sabé sighed too.  
  
"You act like a three year old Gungan." She muttered, frustrated. Ami just grinned.  
  
"Give me a break. I will have to be serious from now on and that's not a good perspective, ok? Well, do you want to meet my new Handmaidens? They seem nice. Of course, you will the Head of them, and you will teach them how to defense themselves."  
  
Sabé nodded, sighing again. She didn't like to meet people. She was calm and almost polite in the surface, but she only let Amidala, her father and Panaka know her real personality.  
  
The four girls standing there looked nervous and excited. Amidala studied them in the shadow of the room, but couldn't see anything that help her know the girls better.  
  
"Sabé, can you use your gift or whatever you have to look inside them?" she silently asked. Sabé nodded and her eyes started shining.  
  
The older, a girl with long blond hair was elegant and a bit arrogant, not too much. She seemed like a pessimistic type of person. The fifteen-year-old girl, whose name Sabé knew from Amidala's descriptions that was Rabé, was rather short, whit dark hair and dark eyes that spackled with amusement. She seemed like a cheerful person. The two younger girls were much alike in there appearance, and yet they were so different. There was Yané, always shy and calm, a very introvert person, and in the other hand there was Saché, brave, full of energy and very optimistic.  
  
She told everything she saw to her Queen and she nodded.  
  
"They seem like a nice group. Shall we make our presence notice?" Ami asked, smiling. Her friend smiled to.  
  
"Sure, why not?" was her replied. Amidala cuffed loudly and all the girls turned to her and bowed deeply.  
  
"Your Highness, we didn't see you." mumbled the blonde handmaiden.  
  
"Yeah, do you do that creepy 'out of the shadows' entrance often, your Highness?" the girl named Rabé asked, arching an eyebrow. Amidala laughed and Sabé chuckled.  
  
"And who is the mute statue?" Saché wondered aloud. Sabé gave her a 'look'.  
  
"I am Sabé Mía Maberrie, your superior, royal decoy and Bodyguard, and the Queen's best friend since we are eight years old." the girl coldly stated, putting her hands in her sleeves, the Jedi way.  
  
Saché colored deeply and mumbled an apology. Then Yané paled.  
  
"You are Sabé MABERRIE? You mean a relative of Lía Maberrie… the angel girl?" she asked, interested.  
  
"Yes, my mother was the girl that those two Naboo pilots found on the moons of Iego twenty-two years ago. She… didn't want someone to find me, so she put me in the Orphanage. It's a secret, so please don't tell anyone." Sabé murmured. The four girls stared at each other with amazement.  
  
"I can believe it! I am working with a half-angel!" Yané murmured.  
  
"Why did you tell them your real name, Sabé? I thought you always introduced yourself as Sabé Sio-Bible." Amidala asked.  
  
"They are going to be around me a lot, Amidala. They should know… So they don't scare to death when I do something… odd. You know…" the decoy explained.  
  
"But, if you are planning on being totally honest with them should tell them about you being the Ice Queen…" Amidala whispered… too loudly.  
  
"You are WHAT?!" Rabé screamed, stunned. The other girls were on a same state.  
  
"Jeez… thanks Ami…" Sabé murmured, shaking her head and sighing "Remember me not to tell you any other important secret of my life again, ok?" the bodyguard stated "Well, yes, I am the Royal Naboo Fighting champion and I am usually named Sabé Sio-Bible because Governor Sio-Bible adopted me. Yes… I am Ice Queen"  
  
"Wow" Saché muttered "You are like a super-girl or something like that."  
  
"I would like to have had a sister like you" Yané sighed, joining her friend Saché at her thoughts.  
  
"You seem like a cool chick" Rabé stated "You can work with me."  
  
"Rabé, don't be disrespectful!" Eirtaé scolded "Yes, she seems nice, and we will be HONORED to work with her"  
  
"Look, they all like you…" Amidala smiled "See? The meeting wasn't a bad idea!"  
  
Chapter One: The Secrets of a Silent lady:  
  
Sabé didn't even shiver while Rabé buttoned the last button of the black travel Gown.  
  
"Saché, Yané, please be careful. I am sorry, but if we leave Naboo, I will have to leave you two here" said Ami.  
  
"We understand" replied Yané. "I know that you will save Naboo, Ami" said Saché with a grin.  
  
"Do not be sad, Handmaidens, this will only be temporal. Padmé, please, you have to understand that it is for your own good." Sabé said, in her Queen Amidala's voice. The real Amidala shook her head.  
  
"You are lying. If you die, I will be desperate. We are like one, Sabé. You die, and I die" she said. In Sabé's face appeared a shadow of a smile.  
  
"Then, I will not die, Padmé" she said before stepping out of the room and joining Captain Panaka and Governor Sio-Bible in the Hall. He looked worried.  
  
"Before you go, Sabé, promise me this: You will be careful, you will avoid any danger. You will put yourself in danger for the Queen herself only. You promise?" he pleaded. Sabé nodded.  
  
"Then, let the Queen's decoy take the place of my dear daughter." Sabé's face became cold, indifferent as she moved away from the palace, trying to escape. Amidala didn't want to sign any treaty. And Sabé supported her till death.  
  
"We can't escape from here. Theed is full of army droids from the Trade Federation" sighed Panaka as he glanced at the chaotic capital city of Naboo. And then, she saw them… Well, she saw him more precisely: he was tall, slender, and had beautiful dark-blue eyes. Sabé noted the lightsaber in his hands and relax a bit: the two men were Jedi. While the older looking man just sliced the droids with a clear swing the other Jedi spun his lightsaber many times before killing a droid. Also he levitated frequently and used the force too much while fighting. He was what people called a "Show Boy".  
  
She glanced at her father, who apparently didn't know what was going on. Then the two Jedis presented themselves as the Ambassadors that the Senate had sent to negotiate with the Trade Federation.  
  
"Well, it seems that you negotiations have failed" said bitterly Sio- Bible. He was thinking that it was their entire fault. If they had negotiated with the nemoidians her daughter wouldn't be there dressed up like the Queen. Sabé glanced at him and slightly shook her head.  
  
"The negotiations never took place" said mockingly one of the Jedis. The older one looked at Sabé and said to her that that was the moment to escape.  
  
"My place is with my people" she replied, her voice so cold that the younger Jedi shivered, in spite of himself. The Jedi insisted and Sabé decided to let Amidala decide. "Both choices represent great risk to all of us" she said in a low voice. In the same tone, Ami respond: "We are brave, your Highness". Sabé sighed and nodded to Qui-Gon.  
  
"Obi-Wan, take care of the Queen while I clear the path to the ships." The mentioned man nodded and put an arm around the queen, leading her to the Royal Naboo, the ship that was less protected. "Run there, now!" screamed the Jedi Master. Sabé ran, slowly so the rest of the group wouldn't be far behind her. Then, she sensed. Danger. The padawan was in danger.  
  
"Jedi, look out!" she shouted, pulling him close to her. The Jedi looked at her, puzzled, and then one defective droid that was sliced in two explode… In the exact same place were the padawan was standing just a few seconds ago.  
  
"How the hell…?" Obi-Wan muttered before realizing that the Queen and her handmaidens were running towards the ship, leaving him behind.  
  
"Are you okay, Jedi?" asked Sabé with regal voice. The mentioned man nodded, feeling suddenly dumb.  
  
"Come on, Handmaidens, get in the ship. I will not do it until you are safe up there. And no, don't argue with me. It's hopeless, and you know it." Sabé stated with a neutral tone of voice. Padmé nodded and signaled her friends to climb up the platform of the Naboo Royal quickly. Sabé followed her, and then the pilots, Captain Panaka and finally the Jedis with that odd Gungan who seemed clumsy… too clumsy.  
  
"Come on, Ric, get this thing in the hyperspace quickly!" ordered Panaka, exasperated.  
  
"Calm down, captain. We will have a little problem in hyperspace, but we will pass the blockade… with little harm." The Queen (the fake one) stated. She knew… because she had seen it. She could see the near future, and sometimes the distant future.  
  
Panaka, knowing that Sabé's predictions were always right, relaxed.  
  
"Thank you very much, your highness." He said, smiling. The mentioned girl nodded before stepping out of the room, her handmaidens following her close and all the men in the room (except the Captain) looking puzzled.  
  
"That was creepy" Rabé stated, shivering. "Do you have to do it, your Highness?"  
  
Sabé looked questioningly at her friend and arched an eyebrow. "Do what?" she asked.  
  
"That 'I see the future' thing. Look, when you predict things and those things happen you look creepy." Rabé explained. Sabé shrugged.  
  
"Are you sure we are going to be ok? This keeps getting worse and worse." Eirtaé mumbled, hearing the comments from the main cabin. Seconds later the ship suddenly stopped trembling and the red alarm sirens stopped sounding.  
  
"Forget I asked anything." Eirtaé muttered, amazed.  
  
Minutes later Captain Panaka was in the Throne room, pointing happily at a droid.  
  
"…a very well put together little droid. Without a doubt, it saved the ship, as well as our lives." he exclaimed. The queen nodded.  
  
"It is to be commended… What is its number?"  
  
"R2-D2, your Highness" the Captain mumbled, trying hard to read the droid's number under all the space dust.  
  
"Thank you, R2-D2. You have proven to be very loyal… Padmé!" The real Amidala took a step forward.  
  
"Clean this droid up the best you can. It deserves our gratitude…" she smiled a little to the droid, which was beeping, apparently very happy. "Continue, Captain."  
  
Qui-Gon steps forward, because the idea of heading to Tatoonie was his and the Captain doesn't seem very comfortable with it. He explained the situation to the queen. Sabé sighed and looked to Padmé when no one was watching.  
  
"It seems like our only choice…" she whispered. Padmé nodded imperceptibly. "I'll take the risk with the Hutts. I only want everybody in the room to know something: if they capture me… go on to Couruscant. Don't waste you time on me… And that goes especially to you, my Handmaidens and to you, my loyal Captain…" Sabé stated. It was an order to Padmé and her dear friends.  
  
The Handmaidens reluctantly nodded, and Panaka sighed and whispered "Yes, your Highness" before stepping out of the room, followed closely by the two Jedis.  
  
"You couldn't have been serious, Sabé" Padmé muttered. "We wouldn't live you here with the Hutts ever!"  
  
"We will discuss that if there is no other choice. Now… why are you heading to you chambers?" the decoy asked.  
  
"Because Master Jinn is going to go to Mos Espa and I want to go with him… and no, you won't convince me otherwise… I'm just too stubborn, and you know it…" Amidala said. Sabé frowned.  
  
"I am your decoy and bodyguard, I know what's better for you" she said.  
  
"And I am the queen. End of discussion" With that last argument Amidala strode of the room, very pleased with herself.  
  
"It's not fair" Sabé whispered, shaking her head slightly. Rabé and Eirtaé nodded simultaneously.  
  
Obi-Wan felt alone… very alone. His master was not there, and he didn't know anyone on the ship. He was bored to no end. Apart from that, he didn't like Captain Panaka, because he didn't trust Jedis, or the queen because… because she was too cold. She was always silent, maybe thinking about something, and took all the news- the good and the bad ones- with a neutral spirit. She didn't show any kind of emotion at all.  
  
Then he heard laugh. Who was laughing in the middle of an escapade? He had to found out.  
  
He followed the sound of laughs till he entered on a little room when the queen was chatting with Jar Jar, and laughing quietly.  
  
"You are telling me the truth?" she asked, amazed and amused "I… I can't believe it"  
  
"Missa got thrown from home for little mistaken… And now missa here!" the gungan snorted, laughing a little too.  
  
"It's my ship that bad? I will make sure that you enjoy the little trip. Maybe you could eat something and then relax a little. You seem to have had a pretty stressful day." The Queen smiled and motioned a chair for Jar Jar to sit-down.  
  
"I have to go now… my handmaidens must be looking for me. But I promise to come back with a large tray of food, all right?" she exclaimed, hearing the voices of Rabé and Eirtaé screaming "Your Highness! Where are you?!"  
  
"Missa gonna miss you" Jar Jar muttered, suddenly sad.  
  
"Oh, you are so sweet." She smiled "Thank you for your company, I was tired of acting regal."  
  
She turned over to see a very curious Obi-Wan Kenobi, leaning in the door frame with an arched eyebrow and a little amused smile. She hadn't sensed him because she was overloaded with feelings: stress, sadness, worrying, and… the sensation that something bad was going to happen any time soon.  
  
"What do you want, Jedi Kenobi?" she asked, her voice cold and back to the royal tone.  
  
"I was just… looking at the lovely scene." He teased, smiling wider than before.  
  
"You feel alone. Interesting" the queen mused aloud. Obi-Wan was taken off guard.  
  
"How do you know it?" he asked her, looking at her intently.  
  
"That is my little secret, Jedi. So be careful with what you think and feel"  
  
She smiled, and Obi-Wan smiled too. Then, Suddenly Sabé began laughing.  
  
"What is it that you find so amusing, your highness?" the Jedi asked.  
  
"Oh, it's just that the whole situation reminds me of the typical fairytales were a hopeless damsel in distress is saved by dashing, handsome and powerful Jedi Knight" the decoy answered "But, of course, there are differences between our situations an the mentioned tales" she added mysteriously.  
  
"And what would those differences be, your Highness?" Obi-Wan enquired, arching an eyebrow, amused.  
  
"Well, first I am not a hopeless damsel; that I can assure you…" Sabé said softly "And second: at the end you won't lift me in your arms and kiss me passionately, like in fairytales"  
  
Obi-Wan smiled wickedly and calmly replied with a hoarse voice: "Do not be so sure of that, your Highness"  
  
Sabé, incapable of holding his gaze any longer, glanced at the floor.  
  
"Well, now back to be the Queen. My little break is over" Sabé sighed and shook her head.  
  
"Do you have to be… like that again?" the padawan asked in a low tone.  
  
"Yes, I fear. It takes courage and a cool head to be the Queen. I can't let my feelings… get the best of me."  
  
"Your Highness! Here you are!" cried Rabé, gasping for air. She had been running, looking for the Queen… well, the fake one.  
  
"I am sorry if you were worried about my welfare, Handmaiden." She commented, before walking with Rabé to the Throne room. The Jedi sighed.  
  
"Till your next break, your Highness" he said aloud and Sabé smiled a little.  
  
"What was all that about?" Rabé asked, smiling maliciously. Eirtaé didn't know what was she referring to, but wanted to hear all about it.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sabé replied, looking perplexed.  
  
"You know what I am talking about, Sabé: You, the Jedi, and your little chit-chat."  
  
"Oh, THAT. Nothing important. I was actually talking with the Gungan, Jar Jar Binks. He stopped to listen to our conversation and we exchange a few words. Happy now?"  
  
"Oh, Sabé, you know that she will haunt you and your little Jedi for the rest of your lives. Rabé is an unstoppable matchmaker!" Eirtaé stated, a little amused.  
  
"Matchmaker? Then, if what you say it's true, Rabé should realize that nothing could ever happen between me and Jedi Kenobi… And, Rabé, I thought you were busy with that pilot, Ric Olié?" the queen said to finish the discussion. Eirtaé started asking questions to her fellow friend and Handmaiden and the two left the bodyguard in peace.  
  
"She is enchanting" a pilot muttered.  
  
"Bewitching" another added.  
  
"Ethereal" a third one mumbled, sighing.  
  
The twenty pilots were reunited in what seemed to be the dinning room, full of tables and chairs. They were talking about the Queen, of course. Obi- Wan was watching and listening to them, nodding slightly at each statement.  
  
"She is so serious and so young. She is fourteen years old, I think." another pilot said, talking a zip of his drink. Suddenly, he noticed the padawan.  
  
"Hey, Jedi, come and join us. You have been very close to the Queen and her handmaidens. What are they like, close up?" he asked in a friendly form, pointing at an empty chair. Obi-Wan sited downs and thought about the question for a moment.  
  
"Well, the handmaidens seem quiet but I bet they are cheerful and talkative when nobody is watching. The blond one seemed very correct and polite, and the brunette seemed… rather outspoken and very energetic."  
  
"And the Queen? What is she like?" a man asked aloud.  
  
"Well… she is just a little girl… a teenager. But she seems very capable of ruling a planet and… well, I can't say anything else… She is like a mystery" the padawan mused, and everybody nodded and sighed at the same time.  
  
"You have to be strong now, Sabé" Panaka whispered to the fake Queen. They were reunited- the Jedi, the queen, the captain and the handmaidens- in the throne room. Panaka had something urgent to discuss.  
  
"What is it, Captain?" Sabé asked, in her Amidala voice. She was beginning to worry.  
  
"We received a hologram communication from Naboo. It's… Governor Sio- Bible, your Highness."  
  
Sabé let out a gasp, eyes wide. She controlled the shiver of her body and her voice before replying: "Show it to me, Captain."  
  
She sat down, aware of the sudden weakness that overpowered her. She clasped her hands together and waited. When she saw the image of her beloved father there, showing with words all the suffering of the people of Naboo she thought she would die. She saw her father's hands, telling her in the secret code not to surrender or to respond the communication. And then he added in the code: "I know that you are watching this, Sabé. I love you".  
  
Sabé took a deep breath, feeling weak. She heard the voice of the padawan, telling her that all was a trap.  
  
"I know it. But knowing it, Jedi, doesn't make it easier for me" she told him, feeling tears run down her cheek. "Excuse me gentlemen, but I need to be alone for a moment. Handmaidens, you may go too, please" she commanded, knowing that she couldn't hold the urge to cry any longer.  
  
When the two men and the two handmaidens disappeared from sight Sabé began sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
"He is all I got now… Please don't hurt him" she prayed to whoever was listening.  
  
On the other side of the door, Obi-Wan was listening to the queen, worried. Poor girl, crying alone in a big room. Disobeying her Highness he entered in the room and put his arms around the queen's waist before she fainted.  
  
"Your Highness, please listen to me. You have to sleep or at least rest a little. The stress, the tiredness and all the worries are getting the best of you. Just relax a little. Please"  
  
Sabé tried to pull herself form the Jedi's arms, because she couldn't think straight near him. Nut Obi-Wan didn't release her. She was too weak to stand by her own.  
  
"I think you are a little sick, your Highness. You seem feverish" the Jedi said, touching the Queen's forehead. Sabé shrugged.  
  
"I was a little sick back on Naboo, but if I had said something before Panaka and my handmaidens would had been too worried about me and I don't want that." She explained, sighing imperceptibly. The truth was that if her father, Panaka or the Queen found out about her illness, they wouldn't let her be the decoy, and Amidala would be in great danger.  
  
"I promise not to tell a single soul, your Highness" Kenobi said "But only if you rest for a while" he added. Sabé looked at him, astonished.  
  
"That is blackmail!" she shouted. The Jedi nodded.  
  
"And of the worst kind, your Highness" Obi-Wan chuckled. Sabé frowned.  
  
"I guess that if you put it that way… I can rest a little" she finally said, in spite of herself.  
  
"Victory!" shouted the Jedi, smiling. Sabé wanted to protest, but he was right.  
  
"You won this battle, but the war is not over yet, Jedi!" she replied, feigning seriousness.  
  
"Then, your Highness, rest. Who knows, maybe you result the winner in our next encounter"  
  
They split up, smiling both.  
  
"My, my, it's later than I imagined…" Obi-Wan sighed, looking at his work: the hyperdrive was surely almost as if it was new, but it needed the replacements to function properly. He smiled however, very proud of his mechanic skills, while putting the tools he used on a box before exiting the hyperdrive main room.  
  
He wondered through the halls, not in the mood to sleep. The air was cold and the temperature too low. Nights in the dessert of Tatoonie were freezing… He shivered, in spite all the warm clothes he was wearing.  
  
Two hours later Obi-Wan became bored of wondering through halls and simply sat up in a room to meditate. Then he heard a sound: tiny little steps, almost as if someone was sliding along a hall near the room were he was. Curious, the Jedi sat up and left the room, searching the person who was walking so silently. He didn't need to search for a long time: he found the object of his search gazing at the silent dessert of Tatoonie trough a large window in one of the Halls: it was one of the queen's handmaidens.  
  
"I have to be sure… I have to sense it... I have to get the hell out of here." Sabé thought. She glanced at the dark room: she was alone, all of the handmaidens slept on other room. She got of the large bed silently and in the same state of silence she put on the Queen's sleeping cloak on top of the nightgown she was using, that was from the queen to. The cloak and the gown were made of pure midnight-blue silk, with platinum designs in the borders, in the collar and, in the case of the cloak, in the hood. She put on deep blue sandals and stepped out of her chamber into a large hall. She wondered through corridors and corridors, till she sensed it. Dark, evil and getting closer. She glanced at the window: the presence was somewhere near, plotting to kill the queen, or in this case, she, the decoy. It was part of a greater plan, she knew it.  
  
She was startled when she felt another presence near her: it was the fiery aura of the Jedi padawan. She sighed, but knew that he was looking for her, so she decided to wait for him. As soon as he got near, glancing at the silent dessert like she was doing, she spoke, softly:  
  
"It's getting closer."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded: he was thinking about the same thing.  
  
"I do not know what it is, but is dark, and wants the queen." she continued. She wanted to talk about what she was sensing with somebody who could sense it too, and Jedi Kenobi was the only one in the entire ship that filled the requirements.  
  
"I know… I am deeply worried. The force that is coming is very powerful and I do not know what its prime objective is." Obi-Wan replied, stunned. Why did that handmaiden know all those things? But he didn't ask.  
  
"Captain Panaka, the pilots and all the people on this ship won't let anyone harm the queen." Sabé said, thinking about Amidala with concern.  
  
"You are very loyal to your queen. Do you know her well?"  
  
"Actually, yes. The queen and the handmaidens are all very close…" Sabé said in a whisper "We respect and love each other… like sisters"  
  
"And tell me, how exactly is the queen?" Obi-Wan asked, curious.  
  
"You seem to have quite an interest on Queen Amidala… Well, she has… many secrets. She is loyal to her people, and she tries to do the best for them. But she feels that she sometimes is too young to take all the responsibilities"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, agreeing with Sabé on her description of the queen. Then, the girl smiled.  
  
"However, nobody will ever know her completely" she said softly. The Jedi arched and eyebrow, puzzled.  
  
"Why do you say that?" he asked softly, trying to take a peek at the face of the girl. He saw her jaw and lips but nothing more before a shout was heard on the entire ship.  
  
"Your Highness!" that was Eirtae's voice, followed by Rabe's voice, shouting the same thing.  
  
"I am here, handmaidens!" Sabé said aloud. Obi-Wan gasped, stunned. Sabé gazed at him and then at her two friends who wear hurrying to her with Captain Panaka.  
  
"We were terribly worried, your Highness, when we did not find you in bed!" Rabé scolded.  
  
"I am sorry, Rabé. I just needed to… check something. I am okay, I am not an invalid." the fake queen apologized softly. The Jedi was almost shocked.  
  
"Your Highness?" he murmured. The bodyguard nodded.  
  
"I am sorry… very sorry if I offended you in some way or if I was disrespectful… I swear that I did not know that it was you… I thought that you were…" he started but Sabé shook her head and gently pressed two of her fingers on his lips, to silence him.  
  
"It's okay Jedi" she stated.  
  
Then she turned to her handmaidens and, after saying goodbye to the Captain and Obi-Wan, she left.  
  
"I'm a moron, a big moron." Obi-Wan thought, sighing. "How couldn't I recognize her? And I asked all those things… What must she think of me now?"  
  
"Please, let her be alright. Please, whatever you are, guard her." Sabé preyed to the force that always accompanied her. She sensed it since she was a baby. Someone was watching after her since her childhood. And she was now pleading that force to watch over Amidala. She sensed the dark force too near the ship…  
  
"Any news?" she quickly asked Rabé, who she had sent to inquire about the latest pieces of information since the news of Anakin's victory on the race.  
  
"No, I am sorry." the handmaiden answered, disappointing Sabé.  
  
"I am going to go insane" the decoy sighed, frustrated. She clasped her hands together and breath deeply, trying to calm herself with little success.  
  
And then, all the girls in the room heard screams and people running.  
  
"What is all that commotion?" Sabé wondered aloud before stepping out of the room with her two friends. In the platform of the ship stood Obi-Wan, Panaka, a little boy and Padmé.  
  
"Captain, what is going on here?" the fake queen asked. Panaka replied:  
  
"Master Jinn has been attacked, your Highness. The attacker wants you…" Sabé couldn't believe it: the dark force she had been sensing finally arrived and the Jedi Master was going to die…  
  
Quietly, Sabé walked to the shadows and removed her headpiece and the black tunic, and soon Sabé was just dressed with the gold robe that was under the black gown. Then, quickly so no one could stop her, she jumped from the ship.  
  
"Your Highness, no!" Panaka screamed and Obi-Wan almost jumped of the ship too, but Rabé and Padmé stopped him.  
  
"There is nothing you can do about it. She won't listen" Padmé explained.  
  
Sabé stood up, trying to get the attention from the black-dressed man who was attacking Master Jinn.  
  
"I believe you were looking for me." She said in a cold manner. The tattooed man glanced at the Jedi he was fighting with and then turned his attention to the decoy.  
  
"Come on, you came to kill me, then just do it… if you can catch me, of course."  
  
The Sith Lord glared at her and then he started running to her. Sabé simply stared at him and then, when he was almost touching her, she moved away a few meters in one second.  
  
"Too slow." she said, before skating away from the ship.  
  
Amidala saw her and then she spoke to the Jedi Master lying on the ground:  
  
"Come on, get on the ship now!" shouted, with all the air of her lungs. "She will entertain him, do not worry!"  
  
Qui-Gon nodded and jumped to the platform, aided by his padawan. In the land, Sabé was avoiding the Sith Lord, running near him in such speed that he couldn't even see her. She put her palms on either side of his face and then concentrated. She wanted to intrude in his thoughts, to find out who was his master. She saw a cloaked man, then she heard evil laugh and suddenly all went black… She broke contact, shivering. Then she started running again, feeling weak but not wanting to demonstrate it.  
  
"Come on… I'm here" she repeated all the time, till the Sith Lord got tired. Then, he got on his vehicle and turned it on.  
  
"Oh my Gosh!" Padmé, Rabé and Eirtaé gasped. Panaka was frenetic, shouting orders to every pilot in the ship.  
  
"Oh, so you want real speed." Sabé said, "Well, your wish is my command."  
  
She then ran as fast as she could. She looked like a beam of golden light. The Handmaidens and the real queen gasped again.  
  
"I did not know that she was that fast!" Rabé said aloud, putting in words what everyone in the deck was thinking.  
  
Meanwhile Sabé was running like if the devil himself was behind her… Well, Darth Maul surely looks like the devil.  
  
Stop thinking silly thinks, girl! Jeez, it's really interesting what a girl thinks before a DARK FORCE USER slides her! the decoy thought. She looked at the ship that was flying near the floor, a few meters at her left.  
  
"Full speed, Captain!" she shouted. Panaka nodded and ordered the pilot to accelerate to full speed.  
  
"For Naboo's Sake, she is running as fast as we!" Rabé cried, amazed.  
  
It's now or never! Sabé ran to the ship as fast as she could. It didn't take her long to reach it. She was thinking on a way to climb into the safety of the 'Naboo Royal' when a pair of strong arms encircled her waist and lifted her up. She let out a surprised gasp before being placed safely in the floor of the ship. There she noticed that the person which the arms belonged to was Obi-Wan Kenobi.  
  
They were both breathing heavily: Sabé for the exercise and Obi-Wan for the anxiety he had been feeling.  
  
"Thank… you, Jedi." Sabé managed to articulate after some minutes. Obi-Wan just smiled at her and replied that it had been a pleasure.  
  
"Can I ask you just one thing, Jedi?" the Decoy asked. The padawan nodded.  
  
"Please, hold me tight. I think I could faint right here right now" she whispered, feeling dizzy. She literately collapsed into the arms of the padawan, who caught her on time.  
  
"Your Highness! Are you all right?" asked the real Amidala. Sabé, opening her eyes, nodded.  
  
"This happens after I pass the speed of the sound" she explained. "Do not worry, anybody, because I will be just fine in… ten or fifteen minutes"  
  
Rabé, seeing that neither Sabé nor Obi-Wan moved from their, ejem, close position, she spoke.  
  
"Then, your Highness, are you planning in staying in the Jedi's arms all the fifteen minutes?" she said lowly, so only Sabé and the Jedi heard.  
  
Promptly, but reluctantly, Obi-Wan sat the decoy on a comfortable chair.  
  
"Are you sure that you are fine, your Highness?" asked Eirtaé, doubting her friend's words.  
  
"I am quite fine, Handmaiden. You must seek the droid doctor to take a look at Master Jinn, however." The Bodyguard stared at Qui-Gon, who was near Obi-Wan.  
  
"I must thank you, Your Majesty. Your risked your life in order to save me. You were very brave." The Jedi Master said with a bow.  
  
"Please, you do not need to thank me. A life for a life, my debt is paid. You save me and my handmaidens; saving you was the last thing I could do."  
  
Captain Panaka started his speech about how foolish and stupid the Queen had been. Sabé covered her ears and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Please, Captain, not the speech, I beg you! I am starting to develop a headache and I feel rather dizzy." the decoy pleaded, trying to regain balance while the entire room spun around her. Eirtaé and Rabé helped her steady.  
  
"I think I crossed the line this time. I better go rest in my chambers. Padmé, I believe that you have some interesting things to tell me. If you excuse me, gentlemen, I will go now." The queen bowed and so did the Jedis and the Captain. Then all the girls left the room.  
  
"Soon we will reach Couruscant. Why do I feel like destiny's fool? I am a prisoner, a victim or a rescuer? Or maybe something else. What is my role in this big play? Why do I have that tickle in my stomach every time I see that Jedi? I know that he belongs near me, but why? Why can't I get him out of my system? Damn him, damn his pride, damn his arrogance, damn his looks and damn his… Mm, wait a minute; did I indirectly say that I found the Jedi handsome? What on earth is happening to me?" Sabé mused.  
  
Reverie was one of Sabé's favorite's hobbies. Since she was a little girl she enjoyed getting lost in thoughts; deep thoughts about the future. She knew things before those things happened, she saw things nobody, not even Jedis, saw. And then there was the voice in her dreams, calling her 'The One with Mystic Eyes'. Her eyes… yes, definitely there was something special about her eyes. Ice-blue was a pretty unusual color of eyes in Naboo. And her eyes glowed too. More than once one of her friends had been scared to death by those luminous eyes staring in the night, like cat's eyes.  
  
Sabé was acting as the queen, with a purple and silver gown because her black and golden gown were being washed (the golden robe had dust from the desert). She was relaxing in the queen's private chambers when, suddenly, Padmé entered.  
  
"Your Highness" Padmé said (yes, they have to keep the façade all the time, because maybe someone was spying them…) "I want to ask you a favor"  
  
"What is it, Handmaiden?" Sabé asked. Padmé begged her to accompany her to a place. Sabé agreed and then she followed her friend to the place were Anakin was trying to sleep.  
  
"What is the matter, Handmaiden Padmé?" the fake queen enquired.  
  
"It's me, your Highness… I am in a bad mood. I feel bad and Padmé thought that you may cheer me up" Anakin explained. Sabé turned to Padmé.  
  
"Do you want me to…?" she asked softly.  
  
At that moment Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stepped quietly into the room.  
  
"Do not use the force, my padawan. Shield your thoughts and make your presence invisible" the Jedi Master said. "I have the filling that the Queen can sense us in some way. If I didn't know that she was tested, I would believe that she is a force-sensitive person"  
  
"Yes, master, I know what you mean" Obi-Wan replied.  
  
Back with the girls, Padmé was begging the queen to do something.  
  
"Please. You always cheer me up with that talent of yours, your Highness. Is like magic… Please" Padmé pleaded. Sabé sighed.  
  
"All right, Handmaiden, but this I do it for the sake of Anakin only" she agreed. She stepped in the center of the room and closed her eyes.  
  
"What you are about to hear and witness, Anakin, hasn't an explanation. It's like magic, it's a gift the queen possesses" Padmé said softly. Then, Anakin started hearing music!  
  
"Where does that music come from?" he asked.  
  
"Form the queen herself" Padmé replied, smiling.  
  
The music filled the room. It was hypnotizing, and the two Jedis were enchanted with it, as well as Anakin. Then, the Queen started singing with an angelic voice:  
  
1.1.1 One day, one night, one moment,  
  
1.1.2 my dreams could be, tomorrow.  
  
1.1.3 One step, one fall, one falter,  
  
1.1.4 east or west, over earth or by ocean.  
  
1.1.5 One way to be my journey,  
  
1.1.6 this way could be my Book of Days.  
  
1.1.7  
  
1.1.8 Ó lá go lá, mo thuras,  
  
1.1.9 an bealach fada romham.  
  
1.1.10 Ó oíche go hoíche, mo thuras,  
  
1.1.11 na scéalta nach mbeidh a choích.  
  
1.1.12  
  
1.1.13 No day, no night, no moment,  
  
1.1.14 can hold me back from trying.  
  
1.1.15 I'll flag, I'll fall, I'll falter,  
  
1.1.16 I'll find my day may be, Far and Away.  
  
1.1.17 Far and Away.  
  
1.1.18  
  
1.1.19  
  
1.1.20 One day, one night, one moment,  
  
1.1.21 with a dream to believe in.  
  
1.1.22 One step, one fall, one falter,  
  
1.1.23 and a new earth across a wide ocean.  
  
1.1.24 This way became my journey,  
  
1.1.25 this day ends together, Far and Away.  
  
1.1.26 This day ends together, Far and Away.  
  
1.1.27 Far and Away  
  
(The song is called 'Book of Days' of Enya and the part that is not in English is in gaelic. I don't use it for lucrative purposes, I am just borrowing it for creating this story, so please don't sue me. And that goes for you too, George Lucas. They are your characters, I know, I am just using then on this story, with NO lucrative purpose… That was my disclaimer).  
  
The voice seemed to echo from everywhere, like a thousand voices singing in unison in the room. They could hear music and chorus. Like is an orchestra, a chorus and many lead singers where all performing there.  
  
When Sabé stopped singing the music faded. The girl opened her eyes and arched and eyebrow.  
  
"Well, boy, speak. Did you like it? Did it help?" she asked neutrally. Anakin nodded, dazzled.  
  
"That was unbelievable! It was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Anakin shouted, amazed. Sabé smiled a little and then her face became serious.  
  
"And you, Jedis? Did you enjoy the show?" she asked turning around to face the two men.  
  
"You knew" Master Jinn stated. Sabé nodded.  
  
"If you do not tell anyone what you have seen then I will forgive you for sneaking into this room behind my back" Sabé said regally.  
  
"Of course, you highness, but how…?" Qui-Gon started asking before the decoy raised a hand.  
  
"Do not ask me for an explanation, because I have non to give you" the bodyguard turned to Anakin.  
  
"Well, little one, are you better now?" she asked in a gentle voice. The kid nodded and yawned.  
  
"Well, sleep well. In a few hours we will reach Couruscant" she soothed him. Then she turned to the Jedis once more.  
  
"I hope that this matter is settled and forgotten" Sabé said, looking at both men with a very dignified gaze.  
  
"The matter is settled, of course, Your Highness, but I doubt I will ever be able to forget it" Obi-Wan whispered, looking intently at her. And he did what nobody had been able to do… he broke Sabé's mind concentration and composure.  
  
"I… mmm… well…" Sabé said uneasily. "Handmaiden, accompany me to my chambers, please" she then said, remembering the presence of Padmé in the room and thanking her mentally for being there.  
  
Amidala looked at her quizzically but said nothing. The two ladies left the room.  
  
"She lost her concentration. A remarkable achievement, padawan" Qui- Gon stated, amused, before leaving him the room.  
  
  
  
"Do we have to wear those horrible gowns? I mean, black is a depressing color and I am quite tire of wearing black." Sabé complained. Amidala glanced at her decoy and simply shrugged. Sabé, like Rabé and Eirtaé, was wearing the burgundy velvet cape, while Amidala was wearing a kimono-like light gown.  
  
"I am sorry, Sabé. The traveling Gown you will wear when we return to Naboo will not be black, I promise. And the black robe is only for the senate, so don't complain" the queen replied. Then Anakin suddenly appeared in the room.  
  
"Where is Padmé?" he asked. Sabé looked at Amidala and saw her effort to control herself.  
  
"Come here, Ani. Padmé is not here, she had to do some things but I will tell her whatever you want." The bodyguard offered, smiling.  
  
Anakin looked disappointed, but talked to Sabé for a couple of minutes before she sended him to Master Jinn.  
  
"Well, the senate awaits, your Majesty. We better hurry." Rabé announced, very serious. "Go for them, Ami!" she added, smiling and grinning. Eirtaé scolded her, saying that that was a very serious violation of the Royal Protocol, and Sabé and Amidala laughed, partly because of Rabé's joke, and partly because Rabé was punished with two weeks of Protocol Classes.  
  
Chapter II: The Girl behind the White Mask:  
  
I sensed it from the start. He IS evil, I can feel it. The vote he proposed against Supreme Chancellor Valorum was just a part of a plan he has. But I can't do anything. Amidala trusts him… And we have bigger problems. Sabé thought, letting out a sigh. She was taking her gold robe off and putting on the violet Travel Gown (Yes, I know that it's the REAL Amidala the one who wears the second travel gown, but this story is fictitious, so it hasn't to be all like in the movie). They have discovered, after a talk with Palpatine, that the Jedis were escorting them back to Naboo. Sabé, as Palpatine, had tried to convince Amidala to stay on Couruscant, but she hadn't listened.  
  
"It fits you well, but you know… it's not like the Black Travel Gown" Rabé said critically, sighing. "Anyway, we are stuck here a couple of hours, so I have time to make little adjustments here and there. Don't worry; it will fit you perfectly when I'm done with it"  
  
"No" Amidala said softly. Everyone looked at her, confused, except Sabé.  
  
"You want to go as the Queen, don't you?" she said softly. Amidala nodded.  
  
"Okay, then, you can do it… But remember that you can't wear the Battle Gown. As long as you respect that I have nothing to object" the bodyguard stated.  
  
"Thank you, Sabé. Is good to know that you approve of my decisions" the Queen replied, and then smiled.  
  
"Come on, we are running out of time. Everybody change clothes now or never" Rabé rushed.  
  
And all the girls groaned in unison- yes, even Eirtaé- and started changing again.  
  
Sabé was relieved when she realized that neither the pilots nor the Jedis seemed to notice the change between Amidala and herself. When they where almost reaching Naboo she approached Amidala in front of the Jedis and the Captain.  
  
"Your Highness, we are almost there. You must change"  
  
Amidala nodded and left the room quietly, her handmaiden following her.  
  
"Strange" Qui-Gon told his padawan "I don't recall seeing that Handmaiden when we left Naboo. But, well, we were very busy and agitated. Maybe I just didn't notice her"  
  
"Sabé, if you do not want to do this, I will understand." Amidala said, gazing at the white face of her decoy.  
  
"You are totally crazy, Ami, if you think that I am going to let you walk around with this dress that practically says: 'Hey! I'm the Queen. Just shoot me!' My job is to be your decoy, your bodyguard, so let me fulfill my duties."  
  
Amidala sighed.  
  
"You are too stubborn for your own good, you knew that?" she almost yelled. "Look who is speaking." replied Sabé in a playful tone. Amidala smiled.  
  
"Don't be mean, Sabé. I'm going to change." the queen muttered before reaching a Handmaiden battle gown and starting dressing. Sabé spoke to all her friends before living the ship:  
  
"This will soon end, girls. Soon you will be attending the Royal arena to see me kick some… (She noticed Eirtae's disapproving glare at that moment) prides, and Rabé will be chasing the Theed's Palace soldiers and Eirtaé will be attending numerous balls trying to take me with her every time, and Amidala will be ruling Naboo, making it greater each day…" she said, smiling before exiting the Royal Chambers.  
  
As everyone stepped out of the ship, Sabé was adjusting her laser guns. When she finally got off the ship, with the three girls flanking her she looked very brave and determinate. She knelt down and took a handful of earth.  
  
"Our own land, our own flesh and blood, and we will take it back! Are you all with me?" she asked softly, but firm. Obi-Wan had to admit that the queen looked absolutely splendid in her battle gown. Using those clothes that day was very risky: they proclaimed that she was the queen, and made her the target of all the laser guns of the Trade Federation.  
  
All the pilots nodded in unison, and the Captain bowed deeply.  
  
"I thank you for your loyalty. And I thank you, Jedis, because you owe us nothing and yet your risk your lives for Naboo. I'll pay this favor, one way or another. It's a promise" she added, looking at the Jedi Knights and bowing a little.  
  
"It's not necessary, your Highness" Master Jinn tried to protest, but he knew that was all in vain. The queen was too stubborn. She turned to Jar Jar, who was standing near her.  
  
"Show us the Way to your people, Jar Jar" she commanded softly. The gungan nodded.  
  
They walked for a while when, suddenly, Sabé started feeling an odd feeling. Like a pain in the back of her neck. It was a warning.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this" she said suddenly and from nowhere a bunch of Trade Federations droids appeared.  
  
"Perfect timing" muttered Rabé.  
  
"They are here to discover the secret city of the Gungans" Sabé shouted to Panaka "They found out about them"  
  
Jar Jar went hysteric, muttering something about 'everyone going to die' or something like that. Nobody really paid him any attention at that moment.  
  
The Battle Gown that Sabé was wearing turned her into the target of every single droid and destroyer. But, since the decoy was extremely fast, it was easy for her to evade the laser shots. What was difficult was to protect Amidala disguised as Padmé.  
  
When she sensed danger, she knew that was the queen the person who needed her help. She looked at a droid which was aiming directly at Ami.  
  
"Watch out!" she yelled pushing her friend to the floor. She eluded the shot too but it brushed the left side of her ribcage. She could feel blood wetting her crimson attire, and was grateful for the color of the battle gown. And she was grateful too for the fact that nobody seemed to notice the wound.  
  
I can hold on a few hours. When this is all over I will ask Rabé to clean the wound without Amidala knowing. she thought, summoning every bit of strength she had.  
  
"Are you all right, handmaiden?" she asked with regal voice.  
  
"Yes. Thank you, your Highness" Amidala replied, wanting to hug and scold her best friend at the same time. Sabé was always putting her own life in danger to protect her and sometimes it was too risky.  
  
The droids were soon handled (they weren't many) and the Queen, her handmaidens, the Jedis, the Captain and the pilots continued their quest along with a calmer Jar Jar. They soon reached the Gungans Sacred Place, where they were received by Boss Nass, who was firm in his decision of not helping them. Sabé tried again and again to explain him that he would suffer with the invasion, but the ruler of the Gungans thought that they could hide well from the Droid Army.  
  
The more time she spent standing still talking to that overweight and rude Gungan the more her wound hurt. She felt suddenly dizzy and knew that it was because of the loss of blood. Soon she wouldn't be able to stand by herself. As casually as she could she put her left hand on the wound and pressed, to stop the blood loss. At that moment she started feeling a little off-balance and clasped both her hands on her back, to steady herself. Amidala, who was behind Sabé, suddenly saw the left hand of her decoy all wet with crimson blood. She understood then why Sabé was breathing heavily and why her legs trembled a little. That stubborn woman!  
  
She resolved to take matters on her own hands and quickly stepped forward and confronted Boss Nass.  
  
"Who are you?" the mentioned gungan spluttered, annoyed. Amidala raised her chin and spoke with her royal voice:  
  
"I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo. (At this point she pointed at Sabé) This is my decoy… my protection… my loyal bodyguard"  
  
Sabé was wide-eyed. She didn't understand why Amidala did what she did.  
  
"Handmaiden Padmé…" she began to say but Amidala raised a hand and silenced her.  
  
"From this moment you are relieved from you decoy duties, bodyguard" she said firmly. Sabé bowed deeply, gazing at the floor intently.  
  
"Yes, your Highness" she replied before loosing the last bit of strength and collapsing in the floor, feeling weak and drowsy. Fortunately for her the Jedi Padawan was near her and caught her before she hit the floor.  
  
"Sabé!" Rabé and Eirtaé cried. The Jedis, the queen, the captain and the handmaidens gathered around the fainted girl.  
  
"She is wounded in the left side of her ribcage" Amidala said quickly, glancing at the Jedis, trying to apologize for misleading them with her eyes. Rabé meanwhile was undressing the upper part of Sabé's body. The decoy, of course, had under the Battle gown a long black cloth wrapped around her from her chest to her navel.  
  
"Oh My God! This is the worst wound I've ever seen!" Rabé said loudly. "I do not know if I will be able to treat it properly"  
  
Obi-Wan then took the first aid kit that the brunette was holding and offered to treat the wound himself.  
  
"After all, I do have experience with nasty wounds…" he told the girl. Qui-Gon approved his padawan's decision and told the Queen that after the bodyguard was well treated he wanted to speak to her.  
  
Obi-Wan, meanwhile, stared at the person lying there on the ground. The girl had to put up with all the pain for, at least, three hours and nobody noticed. She was surely very brave… and rather mysterious in some sort of way. He was starting to give up in understanding her.  
  
"She is the most loyal and caring person I've ever met, Jedis" Amidala said softly "She risks her life for me and Naboo, and no one will ever know that. Sometimes I think that is unfair, but Sabé doesn't seek fame and glory. Honestly, I do not know what she seeks"  
  
The Jedi Knights and the Queen were sitting next to the decoy, who laid unconscious on the floor, breathing softly and tossing in her troubled sleep.  
  
"Since when has she been your bodyguard and decoy?" Qui-Gon asked softly.  
  
"Since she had nine years old. She was so young, but very skilled, matured and firm. She was never afraid and always had a solution for everything" Amidala smiled, remember distant situations from the past "She seemed cold and distant at first, but it's just a façade she has to protect herself form the rest of the world. Actually, she is very tender. Life has treated her badly"  
  
"How so?" enquired Obi-Wan.  
  
"Well, she has had lots of encounters with the death acting as me. She always evaded them but she has got many scars from those situations…"the queen explained when suddenly she heard a noise behind her.  
  
"Do not try to make me a hero, Ami" Sabé scolded softly, getting into a sitting position.  
  
"Sabé, rest!" Amidala commanded, but the bodyguard shook her head.  
  
"No, you relieved me from my decoy duties, but I still have my duties as a bodyguard to fulfill" she stubbornly replied "And anyway, it's just a scratch!"  
  
Qui-Gon was wide-eyed and Obi-Wan chuckled softly.  
  
"Just a scratch? Pardon me, milady, but that 'scratch' made you loose near two liters of blood" he commented, grinning. Sabé then noticed for the first time the presence of the two men.  
  
"Jedis, I am sorry" she mumbled "Sorry for not noticing you, for lying to you, for misleading you…" she began to say but Qui-Gon cut her speech.  
  
"It's all right, bodyguard. We understand that you had to change roles with the queen" he assured with a kind smile. Obi-Wan looked at her and enquire softly when had she been the queen and when only a handmaiden.  
  
"Well, the one in the escapade was me, the one on Couruscant was Amidala, and the one returning to Naboo was her too. You see, the Black Travel Gown and the Battle Gown are only used by me. They fit me perfectly" Sabé said softly, in her natural voice, which the Jedi Padawan found enchanting.  
  
"Do you mean that the Queen never gets to fight as herself?" Qui-Gon asked.  
  
"That is absolutely prohibited. It's too much risk. I was trained in the arts of war, but even I am not sure if I'm going to make it to the end of the attack. The mind of the enemy will be focused on trapping and shooting whoever wears the Royal Battle Gown"  
  
"Sabé, please don't say things like that!" The queen cried, shaking her head violently.  
  
"Ami, it's a possibility. You have to prepare yourself for it" the decoy said firmly. The Queen sighed and shook her head.  
  
"Enough of this horrid conversation. You have to rest, and I have a plan to discus with the leader of the Gungans. If I see you standing on your feet or working I will relieve you from your bodyguard duties too, ok?" she said. Sabé nodded but Amidala was not sure of her.  
  
"Jedi Kenobi, could you watch her? I am not sure if she can keep the promise"  
  
"I do not need vigilance, Ami" Sabé protested, but her friend didn't pay her any attention.  
  
"You are wrong. I know you too well, Sabé Sio-Bible" and with those words Master Jinn and Queen Amidala were gone.  
  
Obi-Wan titled his head to one side and mused aloud:  
  
"Were have I heard that surname before?"  
  
"From Governor Sio-Bible, the man who was next to me when we escape from Naboo and the person from the hologram communication. He is… my foster father. I am an orphan, actually" Sabé said, smiling slightly and sitting in a yoga position.  
  
And then, all made sense to Obi-Wan. When she fainted the first time, she was crying alone in a room. She was crying for her father, for the person that gave her a family after she had lost her own.  
  
"I'm sorry" he said finally, looking at the ground.  
  
"Don't be. I am the one who feels sorry here. He treated you in a rough way but only because he was concerned for me" she explained. Obi-Wan chuckled softly.  
  
"We have been apologizing to each other since we left Naboo the first time… Maybe we should stop" he said softly. Sabé smiled a little.  
  
"Well, you are right. But I hope you don't object to me fainting in your arms every five minutes. I'm starting to get comfortable nuzzling against you" she playfully replied. Obi-Wan seemed shocked.  
  
"Oh, please, don't stop! It has been my pleasure as the dashing hero to catch the brave and beautiful damsel every time"  
  
"Amazing the things that a fifteen year old decoy and a padawan and almost Jedi can discuss on a dangerous situation… do you think that maybe is hysteria?"  
  
"Oh, I think is just our eccentric personalities" Obi-Wan replied, laughing a little.  
  
Sabé looked at him and softly asked him if he had ever suspected about the roll change.  
  
"Frankly, I had no idea. And that's odd, because we Jedis can distinguish a person form another through the force" Sabé quickly changed into a safer subject and the conversation continued for like half an hour.  
  
Gungans and pilots worked together to organize the master plan. Boss Nass added little ideas, but was a gungan of good heart. His general, however, helped them greatly. It seemed to be the most intelligent of the Gungans. Jar Jar was happy to be in his planet and with his people. But suddenly, all calm was lost. It started as a dizzy image in Sabé's head. It was her power to see the future. Something was going to happen, something big. Then the image became clear: Master Jinn, lying on the floor, with blood on his robes, and a weeping Obi-Wan kneeling next to him. Her head started hurting. She put her hands at each side of her head and cried.  
  
"Someone please make it stop!" she yelled, almost fainting. The world spun around her: she couldn't see clear. All she saw was red blood, and tears…  
  
Amidala cursed aloud and tried to help her friend.  
  
"This happens all the time" she explained before making Sabé seat down. The mentioned girl felt tears in her own eyes. Maroon tears, because of the eye-paint. And when she stared at the two Jedis that were near her they jumped, surprised. She had the most luminous ice- blue eyes they had ever seen.  
  
"Are you okay decoy?" Master Jinn asked, thinking that the force shone through those special eyes. The questioned nodded, trying to stand up but she couldn't. Then Obi-Wan extended a hand to her.  
  
"May I have the pleasure?" he asked, teasingly. She smiled a little: the headache was gone. She accepted the offered hand and stood up.  
  
"My eye-paint! Darn, I will have to put those drops again!" Sabé complained with a sigh. Then she excused herself.  
  
"Master Jinn, please do not fight the darkness" she said before leaving "or you will die."  
  
The Jedi, that was the only one that had heard her, sighed. "I will do what the force commands me to. I know that you understand." He replied. Sabé nodded and shook her hand with his. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Master Jinn."  
  
They both bowed and then Sabé left. She felt admiration for the Wise Master Jedi. She could see that he and the force shared a very tight bond.  
  
"Come on, we have to reach the palace now o never" Amidala whispered to the pilots and the handmaidens. Sabé nodded and ran full speed to the secret doors, opening them lightly in less than a second. She inspected the surrounding of the palace's kitchen and then waved a hand. All clear.  
  
With the two Jedis guarding, the pilots and handmaidens quietly made their way to the secret kitchen's door, entering into the Theed's Palace. Shortly after that the two Jedis separated from the rest of the group to fight Darth Maul. Sabé shivered but tried to cover it as she made her way to the throne room, leading a group of six pilots. Amidala was safe with the Captain, and she was trying to attract everyone's attention so the queen had no obstacles. Things were going quite well until a beep caught her attention. She searched her pocket and took out a small black device that had a red light that was flashing. It was the alarm call from the Throne room… Amidala was in trouble! She started running, yelling things to the six pilots that followed her. An idea started forming in her mind. She saw Amidala being aimed by the neimoidians. She smiled and fired two shots at the Viceroy and his companion.  
  
"I Will not be signing any treaty, Viceroy, because you've lost!" she exclaimed in her royal voice. The ten droids that wear there started chasing her under the Viceroy's orders. That left Padmé free to capture the Viceroy. Suddenly the droids stopped functioning. The pilots had accomplished their task. Saché and Yané, who had been freed because they were held captive in the palace, smiled broadly. They both hugged and cheered, with the palace's guardians that had been freed by Eirtaé and Rabé, who were both there too. It was all joy and congratulation in the corridors but Sabé couldn't help but notice the sorrow and grief of a single man in the palace: Obi-Wan Kenobi was crying lonely besides his master's body. And she cried a little too. She had been beginning to like the Jedi Master.  
  
"Amidala, please, in twenty minutes send two guards to the southeast corridors. They will see Master Jinn's body lying on the floor and his padawan in a neutral state. The guards must ask his permission to retrieve the body. Then command a servant to arrange a room for him. I will escort him there, so he grieves in privacy" she said darkly. Amidala nodded, a little surprised. Tears ran through her cheeks as she summoned two guardians.  
  
Twenty minutes after that Sabé stood quietly besides Obi-Wan. She hated herself for letting it happen and that the Jedi was suffering. She knew it because she could sense his pain like daggers cutting her skin. Slowly the decoy tapped him on the elbow.  
  
"It's just a body, Obi-Wan, nothing more, nothing less. Come with me." She softly whispered; her eyes luminous because she had removed the eye-paint.  
  
The Jedi nodded, regaining somehow his composure. She led him through halls and corridors to a comfortable room with a large bed and a hologram projector.  
  
"Should I call someone? A friend, master Yoda, perhaps?" she offered, her tone low and almost inaudible.  
  
"Yes, please. Tell him to come, if he cans." He replied, sitting in a chair and breathing deeply. He seemed very affected.  
  
She bowed deeply and placed a hand on his head while looking intently at him. He felt suddenly drowsy and two seconds later he was asleep in the chair. Sabé took him to the bed before exiting the room without doing a noise. "Sleep now, Jedi, and sweet dreams." She murmured.  
  
"You will be at the Parade, right?" Amidala asked to her friend as she looked at herself at the mirror, wearing the White dress she loved so much.  
  
"As a handmaiden, with my head covered by a hood. I will assist to the party as Sabé, accompanying father. He says that if I do not go, he will stay in the house." Sabé answered, dressing herself with the green Parade Gown of the Handmaidens. She was glad to wear such a nice color after the horrible black dress and cloak of the Master Jinn's funeral. She had been there, behind everyone, trying not to attract the attention of Master Yoda and the others Jedis. She had cried however, and everyone noticed this because no one was crying except her. But she could not help it: she had appreciated the man that had died.  
  
But she had to be happy that day. It was a celebration: Naboo was free and united after all those years of separation.  
  
The palace was breathtaking, but everyone was glancing at the stunning Queen and her mystery ladies, the handmaidens that smiled through a hood that covered their heads and faces. Obi-Wan was standing in his best robes, trying to be cheerful. Next to him was his padawan, which smiled to the Queen too often. Then, suddenly, Anakin turned to his back and let out a small scream of joy.  
  
"Sabé! That is how you look without your queen disguise?" he asked. The girl smiled and shushed him.  
  
"Ani, nobody must know that I am a handmaiden." She scolded softly, giggling. Obi-Wan did not look back. He was puzzled: the day his Master died he remembered that Sabé had escorted him to a room and the next thing he remembered was the luminous eyes of the decoy and finding himself in bed!  
  
Sabé meanwhile was showing Anakin her father.  
  
"Is that man in the left of the queen, the one with platinum hair" she pointed. Then the outside celebrations ended and Sabé sighed.  
  
"I am sorry, Ani, but I have to go. Being the daughter of a Governor involves unpleasant duties as dressing in fancy uncomfortable dresses and being stalked by hundreds of petty and boastful men… I hate it but I must do it. Will I see you at the party?" she enquired, hope in her voice.  
  
"I hope so, if my master lets me." Anakin said aloud. The girl smiled and rushed out of the parade, to her House.  
  
"Sabé, please come here!" Governor Sio-Bible and Queen Amidala said softly.  
  
"What is it?" the girl asked, puzzled.  
  
"Nothing wrong, I assure you" Amidala told her quickly "It's just that we were planning on some shows to entertain the Naboo people, the Gungans and the Jedis as well. And the only thing that might interest them all is a good Fight. So we are summoning all the best fighters of the Naboo Arena and you, as the Champion, are the best… Could you fight? Please?"  
  
"But… what about the party?" the decoy asked. Amidala said that was postponed until after the shows.  
  
"Come on, it will be fun… Do it for me!" Ami pleaded but Sabé just wanted to rest.  
  
"No, Ami"  
  
"Then do it for your father"  
  
"No, Ami"  
  
"Then do it for the people of Naboo and the Gungans, who helped us"  
  
"No, Ami"  
  
Then do it… for Obi-Wan Kenobi"  
  
Sabé was going to said no again when she remembered well the look in the Jedi's face when they burned the body of his master. He needed something to cheer him up after all.  
  
"Ok, Ami" she replied and she walked to her house to fetch her bodysuit missing the all knowing look that passed between Governor Sio-Bible and the Queen of Naboo.  
  
Sabé groaned as she searched though her huge wardrobe. She didn't use many gowns, but she had her decoy clothes and all the dresses and robes that her father insisted on giving her as presents from all over the Universe and from Naboo too. She found one of her newest bodysuits: an ice-blue one with crystal bracelets and a crystal gun belt with two shining laser guns. She had a pair of earrings in the form of snowflake and a tiara made of crystal with a snowflake in the center and a crystal snowflake in the middle of her gun belt too.  
  
She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She was in the mood to kick someone's… pride.  
  
The Tournament Combats were celebrated on the Royal Arena of Theed. It was more like an exhibition than a real combat. People gathered on the grades that encircled the arena, gossiping about the two fighters that were going to fight that day. Sabé was really a popular fighter, and it was people's favorite. Amidala and the decoy were Naboo's little girls. Naboo people just loved them.  
  
The Royal Arena was quite a place. It was very big, with three different types of grades: the upper grades, that were free, the middle grades, that were more comfortable but you had to pay for them and the lower grades, were the Royal grade was placed, and all the grades were occupied with good fighters, Naboo noblemen and one or two very important visitors of other planets. That time the Queen had invited all the Jedis that had come to Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral and they all had accepted the invitation. All the handmaidens were there, cheering Sabé with all the air of their lungs, except Eirtaé that wanted to behave like a lady, everywhere, even in a Fighting arena.  
  
"Come on, Eirtaé. You are ruining the atmosphere." complained Rabé, while eating soundly a grassy chip.  
  
"Eww, Rabé, how can you eat that?" replied the blond-haired handmaiden, making a disgusted face.  
  
"Chill, girl! We are not in service, we are here as the Queen's guests." Yané intervened with a grin.  
  
"Ok, you win; I will try to 'chill' as you say. But don't expect miracles" Eirtaé accepted. All the handmaidens really doubted. Then a clocked figured appeared in the arena, near them.  
  
"Hi, girls, having fun?" the figure asked. It was Sabé. Her hair was tied up on a complicated braid and nobody noticed that was her except her friends.  
  
"As much fun as we can with Eirtaé here" Saché teased, and everyone giggled.  
  
"Nervous?" Amidala asked, suddenly noticing Sabé's uneasy breathing. She was looking at the three Jedi masters with and intense glance. What if they discovered that she was a force-sensitive person like Master Jinn had discovered?  
  
"I… feel uncomfortable. I mean, many mighty, powerful Jedis humbled themselves and came to see the event." Sabé tried to joked, but Amidala noticed the pressure her friend was under.  
  
"Just relax, I know you will be great" the Queen said smiling.  
  
"Well, go kick some prides, sister!!" Yané yelled. Sabé smiled and stepped out of the arena because she had to do an 'entrance'.  
  
The entire building was suddenly quiet when a charming black-haired tall man stood in the middle of the battle arena. He was wearing a red and gold robe and he had hazel eyes and a ravishing smile. He was the Head Speaker.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, humble people of Naboo" he started, with a melodic and strong voice "We are here reunited to witness one of the Most artistic and Famous Shows of this planet. Brave, strong, accurate and smart fighters will clash their weapons here and today, but most important of all, we have here to day our dear Sabé Sio- Bible, the Ice Queen of Naboo (at this point everyone cheers) Many male fighters have tried to defeat her in the past and they will try today because we all know that every single male in the entire universe will be pleased to defeat our little girl"  
  
The public erupted into exclamations of 'Yes' and 'Of course'. The Jedis were a little confused, and the Speaker caught that.  
  
"Oh, the Jedis don't understand. Soon you will, so don't worry." The Speaker yelled, amused. "You should be happy because you are about to see the greatest display of agility, skill, grace…" he started but he then caught the 'look' that Sabé was giving him behind stage so he decided to be quick.  
  
"But I will not bore you more. So, enjoy the show, my dear public, and long life to all of you!" he said, bowing and grinning at the same time. Three or four females fainted and that made the Speaker smile even more, if that was possible, of course.  
  
The lights went off and everybody whispered in expectation. Then a red light suddenly illuminated one of the corners of the arena: there stood a clocked figure. The cape was red as blood and made of silk. The figure walked to the center of the stage, followed by what seemed to be a legion of scarlet-dressed girls. They were carrying a gun-belt, a Naboo glaive and four bracelets, all made of gold.  
  
"Here is the Show-boy King." Sabé sighed, trying to relax. She had heavy blue eye shadow and blue lipstick, so she didn't look like the Queen at all. She had heavy ice-blue boots and her silk bodysuit that had a V neck and a cloak on top of all that. (NA: Yes, I like the color ice-blue, if anybody was musing about that).  
  
On the stage the clocked figure suddenly removed his cloak revealing a man wearing only scarlet trousers and black boots. The girls that followed him started to put his gun belt and bracelets on and handed him his glaive. The Speaker, who was on a corner, presented him.  
  
"As we all now, here is Naboo's second champion and the favorite among the ladies, Sir Arian, the Fire King!"  
  
Everybody started cheering him, and Arian waved at his public, smiling on a charming way.  
  
"Ego King would have been a better nickname." Sabé thought. She sensed the excitement of expectation and the adrenaline running through her veins. She was someone else when she was battling or near a battle. Then she heard the speaker saying:  
  
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that this angel doesn't need any kind of presentation, but we will be good and make the presentation for the foreigners. So let's greet our icy girl, six times Royal Champion of Naboo, the dream of every single man in the Universe, our lovely, cold and absolutely gorgeous Sabé Sio-Bible, also known as Ice Queen!"  
  
Sabé shook her head. That speaker had a very big mouth, and he crossed the line on every speech he made. Rolling her eyes she started walking to the center of the arena. The public roared, making it impossible to hear anything, not even one's own thoughts.  
  
When the public began to quit Sabé finally spoke.  
  
"How are you, my dear public?" she said and then, with one smooth movement, she took off her cloak. Every single man in the Arena gasped. The bodysuit was like a second skin. It didn't live ANYTHING to the imagination. Plus, the girl had all the curves of a grown-up female.  
  
Jedi Kenobi was speechless. Holly Force, that was too much for him or for any man in the entire universe!  
  
"How can men concentrate in fighting with that in front of their eyes?" Obi-Wan mused aloud… too aloud. Everybody heard him, even Sabé. She laughed and then grinned.  
  
"Oh, one gets used to. Men while fighting are half naked but I barely notice that by now." the decoy told him, trying to stop giggling. She then forced herself to be serious as she bowed to the Jedis before her.  
  
"I hope you enjoy the show as much as will." she said politely, with a mischievous sparkle in the bottom of her luminous eyes.  
  
"An interesting girl, the fighter is." Master Yoda mused on his all- too-complicate way of saying things.  
  
Obi-Wan just nodded. Now that he had turned his attention from the body of Sabé (using every bit of his Jedi trainings) he was beginning to look forward to the fight.  
  
When Sabé seated down in the middle of the arena in a yoga position the Naboo people were excited (they new that strategy of hers), the Gungans puzzled and the Jedis interested. The decoy closed her eyes and put her Royal Naboo Glaive (the official weapon of the planet) in the floor next to her left hand (didn't you notice that Sabé is left-handed? I noticed it when I saw her holding a gun in the film. Interesting fact…). She said nothing, and didn't even move a muscle. Arian was well known for his impatience and that was a point in Sabé's favor. Concentrating in her gift she read Arian's mind, trying to visualize his next move. As clear as water she sensed his intentions. He was going to jump over her and attack her form the back.  
  
"Low move…" she whispered, smiling ever so slightly. She prepared herself and when he jumped she turned, grabbed her glaive and punched him in the middle of the stomach with, of course, the part opposite to the blade. Then, without even standing up, she aimed the blade to his neck and opened her eyes.  
  
"Surrender" she said gently, rising slowly and aiming always to her opponent's neck.  
  
"I… I surrender" Arian stammered, his pride wounded.  
  
"Good" Sabé put her weapon down and extended a hand to the fighter lying on the floor, who took it.  
  
While the Queen clapped her hands, Saché and Rabé whistled and Eirtaé and Yané cheered with the rest of the spectators, the Jedis were all stunned.  
  
"That last only thirty seconds" Mace Windu said, blinking as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen.  
  
"Something in the girl, I sense" (Guess who said that… Yes! You are right, Master Yoda).  
  
"I knew she was good and agile, but I did not know that she was THAT good and THAT agile"  
  
The Head Speaker smirked and then sighed dramatically.  
  
"It looks like Arian has been defeated again" he commented, shaking his head. "Well, the next combat will be between Candy Girl and Phantom"  
  
The combats all were spectacular but specially the ones in which Sabé participated, despite the fact that they didn't last more than one minute.  
  
After the first rounds of fights between official professional fighters came the Challenge Rounds. Everyone who wanted to challenge any fighter was free to do so. The amateurs' fights were really amused, but Sabé was bored because nobody wanted to challenge her. Nobody dared challenge her. She sat in the place of honor of the Fighting champion, observing the fights and trying not to fall asleep when she heard whispers from the crowd of spectators.  
  
"What…?" she wondered aloud and gazed around her and noticed that Obi-Wan Kenobi was standing up and doing signs to the Speaker.  
  
"Oh, this is starting to get interesting!" the black-haired Naboo man said silkily "One of the Jedis wants to challenge one of our humble fighters. Who would be your choice, Jedi Knight?"  
  
Obi-Wan jumped to the arena and positioned himself in front of Sabé's seat.  
  
"Your dear Ice Queen is the opponent I want, if she agrees, of course" he said gallantly. Sabé was stunned. She rose from her sitting position and tried to say something, but words refused to come from her mouth.  
  
"This just keeps getting better and better" Rabé told the queen, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is worth seeing!!!" the Head Speaker screamed cheerfully "Do you accept or refuse, Ice Queen?"  
  
The decoy took a deep breath and nodded.  
  
"Your wish is my command. This is not the first time I fight with a Jedi" she said, smiling gently and jumping to the arena.  
  
"That's true, dear public. According to our records Sabé has beaten seventeen Jedis, one even from the famous the Jedi Council. All of them, of course, chose to remain anonymous" the Head speaker, named Puck, said proudly. The Jedis couldn't believe their ears.  
  
"You may use your powers if you like. Trust me, is fair. Your weapon unfortunately will have to be a Naboo Glaive, because your lightsaber will cut my glaive in two" the bodyguard told the recently named Jedi Night while she stretched a little.  
  
Someone tossed a Glaive to Obi-Wan, who caught it perfectly and stood there, waiting for Sabé to adopt a fighting position.  
  
"Not so fast, pretty boy. If I have to fight like this" at this point the decoy pointed at her attire "The last thing you could do is take off your upper robes" she said coolly, looking expectantly at him. Obi-Wan half smiled and nodded.  
  
"What's fair is fair…" he said, while removing his tunics.  
  
"Well, well, ladies, I think we've just met god's gift to women" the Speaker laughed, while one or two girls fainted.  
  
"Am I ready now? Do you approve of me now?" Obi-Wan asked her, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"Totally… Let's get started then" Sabé kept her eyes open, because she knew that that fight was going to be the toughest of them all.  
  
The fight was long… way too long. The two opponents kept blocking each other's attacks with skill and agility. In that point Sabé was best, but Obi-Wan always found a way to surprise her. She couldn't anticipate his moves. That was always her strong point and it wasn't working with that man. She had to use her second stronger point.  
  
"Time out!" she yelled suddenly, and Obi-Wan stopped attacking. The Head Speaker was relating the match almost yelling.  
  
"This has never happened before, Ladies and Gentleman! Our Untouchable Ice Queen has asked for a time out!" he was crying on top of his lungs. Sabé swore at that moment that he was beginning to turn into a shade of red.  
  
"You are good. Nobody ever forced me into doing this" she said to Obi-Wan while she removed her bracelets and belt. The fell to the floor of the arena and made several holes. When the Jedi tried to pick one he couldn't because it was too heavy.  
  
"What the hell?" he wondered aloud. Sabé shrugged.  
  
"They are made of frym, the heaviest object on the universe: It cost my father a real fortune, but they are good for keeping my agility down. Normally I do not use all my speed in combats because it would be unfair, but I think you can handle my full agility"  
  
Obi-Wan smiled, pleased with the challenge and they started fighting again. Sabé almost beat her opponent a couple of times, but he always escaped form her when she was near victory. Slowly, ever so slowly that Sabé didn't notice till it was too late, she began getting tired. She started breathing with difficulty and her body started to ache. Her attacks started to loose strength and her defense was pitiful and slowly. Finally, with one smooth movement, Obi-Wan send Sabé's Glaive out of the arena and trapped Sabé between a wall and his glaive.  
  
"I surrender" the decoy whispered, trying to breath normally.  
  
"She surrendered!" the Head speaker yelled, amazed "This is unbelievable! I swear it! I have to be dreaming!"  
  
"Puck has a mouth too big for his own good" Sabé sighed, while shaking her head in resignation. Obi-Wan Chuckled.  
  
"Are you ok? You look as if you are going to faint any time soon" he whispered. The decoy smiled weakly and replied:  
  
"Don't worry. After all if I do faint you are going to be here to catch me and hold me in your arms. I can't complain about that, can I?"  
  
Obi-Wan laughed aloud and walked with the bodyguard to the center of the arena, were he bowed deeply.  
  
"It was a pleasure to fight with you, Miss Sio-Bible" he said loudly. Sabé smiled.  
  
"The pleasure was all mine, Jedi Kenobi. I have always been in search of a person who could beat me. I'm glad I found you" she answered bowing in a ladylike way. Then she turned pale when Puck interrupted their conversation by saying (or rather yelling):  
  
"As honorable winner of this fight the Jedi can claim the prize for beating our dear champion…"  
  
"He doesn't have to" Sabé protested.  
  
"But that wouldn't be fair for me and the public. The entire Naboo has waited for this very moment" the Speaker complained. Everyone in the crowd nodded in unison.  
  
"If he doesn't want to do it, he doesn't have to" the decoy cut him.  
  
"What's the prize?" Obi-Wan asked. The Queen and the Handmaidens were smiling almost mischievously and had their eyes fixed on the couple standing on the arena.  
  
"Don't tell him!" Sabé shouted to Puck, but he had the same expression that the Queen and the Handmaidens had.  
  
"What's fair is fair, I have to tell him. The prize is the reason every single male in the universe would like to beat our dear Sabé" Puck started saying.  
  
"And what's the prize, for the Force's sake?" Obi-Wan asked pleadingly, very curious.  
  
"The prize is… a kiss form the icy lips of our Royal Champion" Puck said slowly, grinning from ear to ear. Sabé blushed deep red and said eagerly:  
  
"But nobody will force you to accept the prize if you don't want it, Jedi Kenobi"  
  
"But, my dear damsel, is my wish and my duty as the dashing hero to kiss you. After all, we shouldn't spoil the end of this fairytale, don't you think?"  
  
Sabé blushed even more and stammered:  
  
"But this is not over yet. There is still the party, this isn't the end"  
  
Obi-Wan sighed, agreed, approached Sabé and kissed her softly on her left check.  
  
"You owe me a real kiss, ok?" he whispered into her ear. Sabé, dumbfounded, could only nod.  
  
"Are you ready, hon?" Governor Sio-Bible said softly, standing in front of the door of his daughter's chambers.  
  
"Almost, father" the girl replied, while she smoothed her gown of deep blue with silver strings forming the view of a night sky.  
  
"Hurry, because we've got someone who wants to see you. A little boy, who claims to be your friend"  
  
"That must be Ani!" Sabé screamed, rushing out of her chambers in search of her friend.  
  
"You look breathtaking, Sabé!" the little boy said smiling. The mentioned one smiled too and thanked the newly named padawan for the compliment.  
  
"We must be off" the governor said eagerly, trying to hurry his daughter and her little friend.  
  
"Don't worry, father, we will be there on time" Sabé sighed, picking Anakin in her arms.  
  
"Come on, oh brave wannabe Jedi" she teased him gently.  
  
"Lead the way, angel girl" Anakin answered her in the same playful mood. Sabé smile even more.  
  
'You don't have any idea of the truth of your words. Maybe one day I'll be able to tell you' she thought.  
  
"I'll miss you, Sabé…" Ani suddenly said, while they were heading to the palace of Theed. "I'll miss your guidance and advises"  
  
"You've got Obi-Wan" the girl replied, hugging the kid tightly.  
  
"Yes, but you are best guider than him. He is a good fighter, but doesn't have your spark and intelligence when it comes to advising people"  
  
"Oh, thank you very much, Ani. Our friendship doesn't have to end, you know? You can always communicate through hologram communications. I bet that in the Jedi Temple they have a hologram projector and they will let you use it. I'm sure"  
  
"Yeah, you are right. By the way, you look beautiful, Sabé" Anakin replied with a tiny smile playing in his lips. He was thinking that he was lucky to have Sabé and his master with him, and the friendship of Padmé.  
  
The party was both inside and outside the palace. Two orchestras were playing in intermittent times. One orchestra was of Naboo people and the other was from the Gungans. Sabé observed that only Gungans danced their songs, and that the Naboo people didn't want to join them. That was going to ruin there recent peace for sure. She decided to put an end to that stupid problem at once.  
  
"Father, excuse me a minute" she said into Governor Sio-Bible's ear. She then walked to the gungan that she remembered form the Sacred Place, The Commander or Captain, she did not remember. He seemed kind and intelligent. She bowed and said with a sweet voice:  
  
"Excuse me, Captain, but I fear I do not know how to dance the song that they are playing. Would you be so kind to be my partner and show me how to dance it?"  
  
All the nobles of Naboo gasped in unison. The daughter of the important Governor of Theed had asked some military Gungan to dance!  
  
The Captain (Yes, I don't now if he was captain, but let's leave It that way…) bowed and obliged gladly. The dance was energetic and very funny. Sabé laughed and smiled a lot while dancing, and end up tired.  
  
"Wow… that was a pretty good dance, Captain. Thank you very much" the girl said, bowed and returned to her father's side, claiming that he should try one of those dances.  
  
After a few second a couple of girls tried the dances, Rabé, Eirtaé, Yané and Rabé included, and then the Queen herself danced one small dance (with that dress I'm surprised she didn't trip…).  
  
"That was nice from you, you know?" a husky voice whispered into Sabé's ear. She didn't even flinch.  
  
"Jedi Kenobi, if you do that to every girl you meet, one is going to slap you and I'll laugh in you face when it happens" the girl coolly replied "Besides, the dance was fun"  
  
Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared next to her, with Anakin at his side.  
  
"Back to be the Ice-Queen, Miss Sio-Bible?" the Jedi asked, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"I hate parties. Father makes me sing in front of everyone and stupid, snobbish, petty, stuck-up nobles are always trying to dance with me" Sabé answer seriously. Obi-Wan had to control his urges to laugh.  
  
"You sing in the parties?"  
  
"Yes. It's boring to always hear music but no one singing. Of course, I do not make the little show you saw in the ship when you snuck behind my back"  
  
"Okay, you don't have to remember that, you know?" Obi-Wan tried to speak to her, but she was cold as ice.  
  
"You are insufferable" he finally said.  
  
"You are intolerable" she said back.  
  
"You are cold"  
  
"You are a show-boy"  
  
"You are mean"  
  
"You are an arrogant Jedi"  
  
"You are too serious"  
  
"Bite me"  
  
"Gladly"  
  
The two broke into smiles and chuckles.  
  
"We are behaving like two year old kids" Sabé said, shaking her head.  
  
"That's the effect you have on me" Obi-Wan sighed.  
  
"Are you ever serious?" the decoy asked.  
  
"Only in missions" the Jedi replied. Then Sabé told him that, in their trip to Tatoonie he seemed almost angry.  
  
"I thought I was escorting a childish girl who wanted to play Queen and her bunch of friends to Couruscant. I didn't know you, the Handmaidens and the Queen were so devoted to Naboo and so smart. You destroyed the Trade Federation Army all by yourselves"  
  
"With the help of the Gungans" Sabé reminded him. Anakin, who was bored, tugged the girl's gown to get her attention.  
  
"I want you to meet the Master Yoda and the other members of the Jedi Council, Sabé" he said "Please, come on!"  
  
The padawan grabbed the bodyguard's hand and dragged her towards the group of cloaked Jedis. Sabé looked at Obi-Wan for help, but he shrugged, chuckled, and followed his padawan.  
  
"I really don't want to, Anakin" Sabé said softly. She disliked Jedis because one of them was her father and chose his carrier above his family. Jedis weren't supposed to marry, but that apparently didn't stop them of having affair and bastard children. That was hypocrisy. And, every time she saw a Jedi above forty years of age she couldn't help but wonder if he was her father. With Master Jinn she didn't wonder, because it was obvious that, if the man had had a child, he would have chosen him instead of being a Jedi.  
  
"Ani, I'm begging you…" Sabé pleaded, trying to walk in the opposite way, bur Anakin grip in her arm was firm.  
  
When they were almost in front of the Jedi Masters Obi-Wan adopted a serious posture, an Anakin imitated his master. Sabé tried to hide the hate she felt for Jedis in general. She put her ice mask on.  
  
"Master Yoda, I would like you to meet my friend, Sabé Sio-Bible" Anakin said timidly.  
  
The Jedi Master looked at her intently and Sabé sensed him trying to get in her mind. She lifted a force wall and, in spite of the fact that the Jedi was very strong in the force, she could resist him. Obviously, Yoda was impressed by that.  
  
"Not an ordinary girl, you are" he said mater-of-factly.  
  
"Oh, yes! She is amazing. She even played decoy for the Queen!" Anakin commented happily until he realized what he had just said.  
  
"Anakin!" Sabé scolded him softly "Gentlemen, please understand that is a secret what Ani just told you. Be kind and do not mention it to anybody"  
  
A female Jedi, with an odd make-up and a benign smile, calmed her.  
  
"We won't tell, dear" she assured her. Sabé sighed softly and returned to her stern posture.  
  
"You are the girl that was crying in Jinn's funeral" Mace Windu suddenly said, recognition hitting him.  
  
"Yes, I am. I was sorry because I couldn't save him again. I can't understand why good men always end up dead and the bad ones live long lives" the girl said icily. She was thinking of her father. And if he was dead? That would be a relief.  
  
A couple of Master arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Save him again? What do you mean by that?" Master Windu snapped rather rudely. Sabé was ready to send him politely to hell but Obi- Wan spoke first, fortunately:  
  
"She saved Qui-Gon form the Lord Sith that was chasing us. He found us in Tatoonie and trapped qui-Gon. The girl, disguised as Queen Amidala, jumped of the ship and drew his attention to her. He started chasing her and my master could reach the ship safely. She is very quick. Actually, you have seen a little bit of her agility today"  
  
"You are that fighter that beat seventeen Jedis and a member of the Council, aren't you?" the gentle woman Jedi inquired.  
  
"Yes. You could say that my hobby is to make a fool of all Jedis" Sabé said coldly before gazing at them with disdain and storming out of their presence.  
  
"I swear a saw a spark of blue in her eyes, but they are brown" the woman Jedi mused aloud. Obi-Wan didn't mention that she was wearing eye-paint. He felt that telling would arise some kind of suspicions.  
  
"Padawan, have you seen what way did Miss Sio-Bible go?" he asked Anakin in a low tone, as if they were conspiring.  
  
"I think she went to one of the balconies, master. Shall we check? For her security, I mean" Anakin knew that Sabé was capable of taking care of herself but, since he couldn't speak with Padmé because the nobles had her whole attention, he wanted to spend time with Sabé.  
  
"Excellent idea, padawan. Come on, let's go" Obi-Wan told him, and then hurried out of the ballroom.  
  
"I'm sick of this! Father, I'm going to the real party" Sabé whispered to her father when she passed him.  
  
"Yes, you are right, hon. I'll join you in your little escapade. I think that your friends Saché, Yané and Rabé quitted the ballroom minutes ago" the Governor agreed, and accompanied his daughter into the balconies. There they could see the majestic illuminated streets of Theed, with lots of merry people rejoicing in the victory and the alliance. Gungans and Naboo people, all of them united, unlike inside the Palace.  
  
"Now THAT'S a celebration" Sabé pointed out softly, smiling.  
  
"Shall we jump to it, then?" Sio-Bible inquired, in mocking seriousness.  
  
"Of course, sir" Sabé imitated his tone and the both jumped from the balconies to the Gardens, were the party was at apogee. They were Gungans and Naboo musicians, playing in unison, and learning from each other. A ck-haired man was singing on a wooden stage.  
  
"Puck!" Sabé greeted with a shout. The singer looked at her and bowed deeply.  
  
"Nobility in our humble party! We are honored with your presence, Miss Sio-Bible. And of course with yours, Governor" the Speaker said, grinning like a fool.  
  
"Stop that or I'll go seek my Glaive to cut you in two" the decoy warmed softly. Puck shuddered.  
  
"Chill, girl!" he told her "Come on, we need a beautiful voice here. I have one, but they are getting tire of it, so we need something fresh. Please, Ice Queen"  
  
"Come on, Sabé. You know you like it" Governor Sio-Bible agreed. Yané, Saché, Rabé and Galatea (know in the fighting world as Candy Girl because she was a very sweet and easy-going person) insisted too.  
  
"Okay, okay, you don't have to beg, you know?" the bodyguard finally gave in. She climbed to the stage and greeted everyone before starting singing.  
  
"This is much better" Obi-Wan mused aloud as he saw the joy of the people celebrating on the streets and the gardens of the Palace of Theed. He watch the stage, were Sabé was singing. She seemed comfortable and full of emotions, unlike the Sabé he had seen earlier in the ballroom.  
  
"She seems happier here, master" Anakin said, noticing the same thing.  
  
"Yes, indeed padawan" the Jedi answered softly. Then he sensed the presence of the other Jedis, who appeared behind him and Anakin.  
  
"Seeking fresh air?" Mace Windu asked.  
  
"Anakin is not the type of boy who is very quiet in closed spaces. I figured that he would enjoy the outside party more" Obi-Wan explained. He didn't want to say that he was practically stalking a girl.  
  
"Yeah. Besides, all my friends are here" the mentioned boy supported, pointing at Yané, Saché and Rabé, who were making signs for him to come closer to where they were.  
  
"Go with them, Anakin. Come on, I know that you will enjoy it" Obi- Wan smiled at his padawan and Ani ran to his friends. At that moment Sabé was singing the same song that she had sung in the spaceship.  
  
"Come on, Sabé! You know what we want to hear! Sin us 'Burn'!!!" Puck yelled at the singer suddenly.  
  
"Puck, I was just going to do that. You don't have to complain" answered the decoy. She then stood in position and began singing:  
  
Do you want to be a poet and write  
  
Do you wanna be an actor up in lights  
  
Do you wanna be a soldier and fight for love  
  
Do you wanna travel the world  
  
Do you wanna be a diver for pearls  
  
Or climb a mountain and touch the clouds above  
  
Be anyone you want to be  
  
Bring to life your fantasies  
  
But I want something in return  
  
CHORUS  
  
I want you to burn  
  
Burn for me baby  
  
Like a candle in my night  
  
Oh burn  
  
Burn for me  
  
Burn for me  
  
Are you gonna be a gambler and deal  
  
Are you gonna be a doctor and heal  
  
Or go to heaven and touch Gods face  
  
Are you gonna be a dreamer who sleeps  
  
Are you gonna be a sinner who weeps  
  
Or an angel under grace  
  
I'll lay down on your bed of coals  
  
And offer up my heart and soul  
  
But in return  
  
I want you to burn  
  
Burn for me baby  
  
Like a candle in my night  
  
Oh burn  
  
Burn for me  
  
Burn for me  
  
I want you to burn baby  
  
Oh  
  
Laugh for me  
  
Cry for me  
  
Pray for me  
  
Lie for me  
  
Live for me  
  
Die for me  
  
REPEAT CHORUS  
  
Yeah  
  
Ah yeah  
  
I want you to burn  
  
I want you to burn  
  
Ooh yeah  
  
(Burn is a song by Tina Arena, and I am borrowing it, it DOESN'T belong to me, I am just using it for a non lucrative purpose)  
  
The song was full of passion and Sabé sang with her heart. That was one of her favorite songs.  
  
"That girl has an angelic voice" the Woman Jedi mused aloud. She didn't know the amount of truth that her commentary beheld at that moment, of course.  
  
Sabé was on stage, looking calmly at the party, which moved outside the palace when she stopped singing, when she sensed it… a Vision. A vision from the future. She knew she didn't have much time to run away to a safe place. Her vision took control of her body and showed her horrible things of the future… like Master Jinn's dead. Her vision of that was very short, but clear. She tried to warn him… he just hadn't listen. He said he had to do 'the will of the force'. She respected that.  
  
"Leave me alone, please" she begged, her voice barely a whisper. Her head started aching and she cried. It was a terrified cry, like if she was seeing the most horrible thing in the world. And, actually, she was.  
  
"Sabé!" Rabé yelled, worried.  
  
"It's happening again!" Yané commented, rushing to her friend's side. The decoy was kneeling in the floor, her hand on both sides of her head, her eyes strongly shut and an agonized expression. She was pleading, pleading whatever had her that way to stop, to pity her at last.  
  
"I don't want to know!!! Don't do this to me, please!!!" the bodyguard shouted "I can't do anything about it!!! I tried to dissuade him, but he didn't listen!!! And besides, it's not time yet!!! I'll do what is expected of me, so now leave me alone!!!"  
  
But the vision didn't go. Sabé saw herself, in great pain. She could feel the bruises she saw in the image like if they were her own bruises. A cut in her forehead and another crossing her neck on the left side. A bruised arm and… what was the pain she sensed near her but that wasn't in any part of her body? Like is she had an extension of her body and someone was knocking that extension in a wall or something. She could feel the warm blood wetting her. She cried again, in agony, tears finally running down her cheeks.  
  
"It's all right, Sabé. The worst is over and we are here. You are going to be just okay, so hang on" Rabé soother her friend who lay in the floor. Sabé nodded and quickly faced the floor and coughed blood for several seconds. Then, suddenly, she stopped. She felt like her stomach was turned upside down and her head ached so much that she wanted nothing but to sleep. It was all her father's fault. She had inherited the force from him… All the visions, the power to read minds, her power to heal other persons (but not herself), her special eyes and the way she anticipated everyone's moves and the near future easily… It was all a little gift from daddy.  
  
She hated him… she hated Jedis. Particularly those from the party and Master Jinn's funeral. Master Yoda was too complicated and mysterious, Master Windu too arrogant and aloof and the rest seemed like either Master Yoda or Master Windu. Except, maybe, the Jedi woman and Obi-Wan.  
  
"Sabé, hon, let me take you home" Governor Sio-Bible told his daughter softly. She tore her eyes from the floor and looked straight to the Jedis, who had rushed to her side when she had had the vision. Her icy eyes, now free from the paint, shone. It was a cold, angry gaze. The glitter of those eyes was hypnotic and fierce. The Jedis, except Obi-Wan, who didn't notice her eyes, backed up, suddenly impressed and scared.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ani. I ruined the party. You were having so much fun" the decoy said with a weak voice, turning her gaze to Anakin. Her luminous eyes were now gentle and beautiful. Suddenly the girl blinked and the eyes stopped shining. Quickly she made a move as to rub her eyes and put on her eye-paint. When she opened her eyes, the Jedis gasped and looked at her, puzzled.  
  
"It's okay, Sabé" the boy merrily replied, trying to make his friend feel better "I enjoyed your songs. Thank you for that"  
  
"You're an angel, Ani. Good night" Sabé kissed Ani's forehead and smiled at Obi-Wan.  
  
"Sorry about all that. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, when you depart. Till then" the girl smiled a little and Obi-Wan bowed and smiled too.  
  
"Till then, my brave damsel" he whispered.  
  
"I don't wanna leave" Anakin said softly. Padmé and Sabé smiled at the boy.  
  
"You have to, Ani. It will be great. You will become a Jedi and save lots of people" Sabé told him softly "You will be a hero. Besides, that's your dream. Chase it, make it true, Ani" The boy smiled a little.  
  
"You sound a lot like my mother" he whispered to the decoy. The mentioned girl replied that then her mother had to be a very wise person.  
  
"I'll miss you Ani, but this is not the end. I know deep inside that we will meet again, Ani. Just be patient" Padmé told him and hugged him tightly. The two girls then step backwards and wave, as Anakin and the other Jedis climbed into the ship. Padmé was crying.  
  
"It's okay, Ami" Sabé tried to calm her friend. It was over, after all the adventures, the worries, the defeats and the victory, it was finally all over. But then, why did she feel so… full of sorrow?  
  
"Did you see Jedi Kenobi board the ship? I didn't" Amidala said suddenly. Sabé then noticed that too.  
  
"You are right. He didn't board the ship" she agreed. And then, suddenly, she knew he was behind her. They were in the middle of the palace hangar, the Jedi ship in front of them, and Anakin waving from one window.  
  
"Why are you here and not there, Master Kenobi?" the decoy inquired softly, turning to meet his gaze, and arching an eyebrow. He was smiling mischievously and she didn't trust that smile.  
  
"I'm just taking care of some unfinished business I have here" he replied innocently. He bowed deeply and bid farewell to the two ladies. As he was walking to the ship, however, he returned to Sabé.  
  
"I have just remembered something" he explained. The decoy arched again and eyebrow.  
  
"What?" she inquired, curiosity taking the best of her. Obi- Wan smiled and slipped Sabé into his arms.  
  
"This is the end of our little fairytale" Obi-Wan answered huskily while he leaned forward and kissed Sabé passionately in the lips. The girl didn't move; she was shocked (Well, after all, with the looks and the charm of Ewan McGregor, who wouldn't be?). But, then, she started responding to the kiss, while her mind was screaming: 'what the hell are you doing, girl? Do you want to end up like your mother?' But she didn't listen to that voice. The universe would still be there, whether she kissed Obi-Wan or not. And she wanted to, so why back up? After all, it was just one kiss.  
  
Yeah, sure… Just a kiss.  
  
"We will meet them again, Ami… I just know it"  
  
The End.  
  
Authors Note: IMPORTANT!!! THIS IS ABOUT A SWQUEL TO THE STORY SO PLEASE READ!!! Well, now that I have your attention I wanted to say that this story has a sequel: "The Keepers of Two, Book II: The Guider and the Guardian" Please, if you have suggestion e-mail me at tinaferrer@fibertel.com.ar. I have a doubt: I want Sabé to look more like an angel and therefore I'm planning to add her wings, but I don't know if it would look to bizarre, or too stupid, so let me know if you want Sabé to have wings or not, or if you have any idea for the story. Please, this is important, so e-mail me if you want to read my story. If you are ridding it in www.fanfiction.net then just live me a review. Thanks a lot for reading this story and be patient if you are waiting for the sequel because I have to see Episode Two before making the sequel. Or maybe I'll just invent the Clone Wars. I'm not sure. Till then  
  
Sabina V. Sinistra 


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